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气体、尘埃和恒星中的鹈鹕星云

(原标题: The Pelican Nebula in Gas, Dust, and Stars)

2023-08-07

浏览次数: 32

鹈鹕星云正在慢慢地发生变化。IC 5070(官方名称)被一个充满黑暗尘埃的分子云与较大的北美星云分开。然而,鹈鹕得到了很多研究,因为它是一个特别活跃的恒星形成和演化气体云的混合体。这张特色图片是由三种特定的颜色——硫、氢和氧发出的光——产生的,这可以帮助我们更好地理解这些相互作用。年轻的高能恒星发出的光正在缓慢地将冷气体转变为热气体,两者之间的边界正在向前推进,被称为电离锋,在右侧的亮橙色部分可见。特别密集的冷气体触手仍然存在。数百万年后,被暗星云LDN 935包围的鹈鹕星云可能不再被称为鹈鹕,因为恒星和气体的平衡和位置肯定会留下一些完全不同的东西。

查看原文解释

The Pelican Nebula is slowly being transformed. IC 5070 (the official designation) is divided from the larger North America Nebula by a molecular cloud filled with dark dust. The Pelican, however, receives much study because it is a particularly active mix of star formation and evolving gas clouds. The featured picture was produced in three specific colors -- light emitted by sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen -- that can help us to better understand these interactions. The light from young energetic stars is slowly transforming the cold gas to hot gas, with the advancing boundary between the two, known as an ionization front, visible in bright orange on the right. Particularly dense tentacles of cold gas remain. Millions of years from now, the Pelican nebula, bounded by dark nebula LDN 935, might no longer be known as the Pelican, as the balance and placement of stars and gas will surely leave something that appears completely different.

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