Star-forming region NGC 346

NGC 346, the brightest star-forming region in the neighbouring Small Magellanic Cloud galaxy, some 210,000 light-years away from Earth. The light, wind and heat given off by massive stars have dispersed the glowing gas within and around this star cluster, forming a surrounding wispy nebular structure that looks like a cobweb. NGC 346 is located in the constellation Tucana (the Toucan) and spans approximately 200 light-years. This particular image was obtained using the Wide Field Imager instrument at the 2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. Images like this help astronomers chronicle star birth and evolution, while offering glimpses of how stellar development influences the appearance of the cosmic environment over time. This is an enhanced colour image based on three different broadband filters (B, V, R), as well as a narrowband filter (H-alpha, shown in blue). The field of view is about 30 arcminutes wide.

Crédit:

ESO

À propos de l'image

Identification:eso1008a
Type:Observation
Date de publication:24 février 2010 12:00
Communiqués de presse en rapport:eso1008
Taille:7699 x 7699 px

À propos de l'objet

Nom:NGC 346, Small Magellanic Cloud
Type:Local Universe : Nebula : Type : Star Formation
Distance:200000 années lumière
Constellation:Tucana
Catégorie:Nebulae

Formats des images

Grand JPEG
21,1 Mio
JPEG taille écran
670,9 Kio

Zoomable


Fonds d'écran

1024x768
608,3 Kio
1280x1024
1019,4 Kio
1600x1200
1,4 Mio
1920x1200
1,6 Mio
2048x1536
2,2 Mio

Coordinates

Position (RA):0 59 18.02
Position (Dec):-72° 10' 48.48"
Field of view:30.53 x 30.53 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 0.0° left of vertical