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.

Credit:

ESO

Over de afbeelding

Id:eso1008a
Type:Observatie
Publicatiedatum:24 februari 2010 12:00
Gerelateerde berichten:eso1008
Grootte:7699 x 7699 px

Over het object

Naam:NGC 346, Small Magellanic Cloud
Type:Local Universe : Nebula : Type : Star Formation
Afstand:200000 lichtjaren
Constellation:Tucana
Categorie:Nebulae

Image Formats

Grote JPEG
21,1 MB

Inzoomen


Wallpapers

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

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