Protostar HH 34 in Orion
This image is an enlargement of a three-colour composite of the young object Herbig-Haro 34 (HH-34), now in the protostar stage of evolution. It is based on CCD frames obtained with the FORS2 instrument in imaging mode, on November 2 and 6, 1999. This object has a remarkable, very complicated appearance that includes two opposite jets that ram into the surrounding interstellar matter. This structure is produced by a machine-gun-like blast of "bullets" of dense gas ejected from the star at high velocities (approaching 250 km/sec). This seems to indicate that the star experiences episodic "outbursts" when large chunks of material fall onto it from a surrounding disc. HH-34 is located at a distance of approx. 1,500 light-years, near the famous Orion Nebula, one of the most productive star birth regions. Note also the enigmatic "waterfall" to the upper left, a feature that is still unexplained.
Credit:ESO
About the Image
Id: | eso9948c |
Type: | Observation |
Release date: | 17 November 1999 |
Related releases: | eso9948 |
Size: | 802 x 895 px |
About the Object
Name: | HH 34 |
Type: | Milky Way : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Protostar |
Distance: | 1500 light years |
Constellation: | Orion |
Category: | Nebulae |
Wallpapers
Coordinates
Position (RA): | 5 35 30.98 |
Position (Dec): | -6° 28' 37.86" |
Field of view: | 2.66 x 2.97 arcminutes |
Orientation: | North is 0.9° right of vertical |
Colours & filters
Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
---|---|---|
Optical B | 429 nm | Very Large Telescope FORS2 |
Optical H-alpha | 429 nm | Very Large Telescope FORS2 |
Optical Sii | 673 nm | Very Large Telescope FORS2 |