The high-mass protostars IRS 9A-C

Zoom-in view to the Starburst Region NGC 3603 IRS 9. The brightest members of the spares association of protostars are IRS 9A-C. The intrinsic brightness of these nascent stars is impressive: 100,000, 1000 and 1000 times that of the Sun for IRS 9A, IRS 9B and IRS 9C, respectively. Their brightness and infrared colours give information about the physical properties of these protostars. They are very young in astronomical terms, probably less than 100,000 years old. They are already quite massive, though, more than 10 times heavier than the Sun, and they are still growing.

Credit:

ESO

About the Image

Id:phot-16d-03
Type:Observation
Release date:3 December 2009, 23:20
Size:2235 x 2225 px

About the Object

Name:IRS 9A-C, NGC 3603
Type:Milky Way : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Protostar
Milky Way : Nebula : Type : Star Formation
Distance:22000 light years
Category:Nebulae

Image Formats

Large JPEG
135.5 KB
Screensize JPEG
135.4 KB

Wallpapers

1024x768
133.2 KB
1280x1024
191.7 KB
1600x1200
239.7 KB
1920x1200
318.0 KB
2048x1536
409.8 KB

Colours & filters

BandTelescope
Infrared
J
Very Large Telescope
ISAAC
Infrared
K
Very Large Telescope
ISAAC
Infrared
H
Very Large Telescope
ISAAC