Star cluster RCW 38

The dense star cluster RCW 38 glistens about 5,500 light years away in the direction of the constellation Vela (the Sails). RCW 38 is an "embedded" cluster, in that the nascent cloud of dust and gas still envelops its stars. There, young, titanic stars bombard fledgling suns and planets with powerful winds and large amount of light, helped in their devastating task by short-lived, massive stars that explode as supernovae. In some cases, this energetic onslaught cooks away the matter that may eventually form new planetary systems. Scientists think that our own Solar System emerged from such a dramatic environment.

This image was obtained with the Wide Field Imager instrument on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at La Silla, using data collected through four filters (B, V, R and H-alpha). The field of view is about 10 arcminutes.

Crédit:

ESO

À propos de l'image

Identification:eso0929b
Type:Observation
Date de publication:19 août 2009
Communiqués de presse en rapport:eso0929
Taille:2946 x 2944 px

À propos de l'objet

Nom:RCW 38
Type:Milky Way : Star : Grouping : Cluster
Distance:5500 années lumière
Constellation:Vela
Catégorie:Star Clusters

Formats des images

Grand JPEG
1,5 Mio
JPEG taille écran
233,2 Kio

Zoomable


Fonds d'écran

1024x768
245,9 Kio
1280x1024
369,9 Kio
1600x1200
488,3 Kio
1920x1200
539,1 Kio
2048x1536
699,0 Kio

Coordinates

Position (RA):8 59 7.92
Position (Dec):-47° 31' 45.78"
Field of view:11.68 x 11.67 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 1.6° right of vertical

Couleurs & filtres

DomaineTélescope
Visible
B
MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope
WFI
Visible
Pseudogreen (B+R)
MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope
WFI
Visible
H-alpha
MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope
WFI
Visible
R
MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope
WFI