可变星云NGC 2261
(原标题: The Variable Nebula NGC 2261)
2025-01-31
浏览次数: 18
这张望远镜捕捉到的星际尘埃云和气体云在短短几周内就发生了明显的变化。发现于200多年前，编号为NGC 2261的明亮恒星R麒麟星位于扇形星云的顶端。NGC 2261直径约1光年，距离地球2500光年，上世纪初被天文学家埃德温·哈勃研究过，这片神秘的宇宙云现在被称为哈勃变星云。那么是什么让哈勃星云发生变化呢？NGC 2261是由一个从麒麟座R星向外扇形伸展的尘埃反射星云组成的。主要的变性解释认为，密集的模糊尘埃结靠近月亮，并在哈勃变星云的其余部分的尘埃云上投下移动的阴影。
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The interstellar cloud of dust and gas captured in this sharp telescopic snapshot is seen to change its appearance noticeably over periods as short as a few weeks. Discovered over 200 years ago and cataloged as NGC 2261, bright star R Monocerotis lies at the tip of the fan-shaped nebula. About one light-year across and 2500 light-years away, NGC 2261 was studied early last century by astronomer Edwin Hubble and the mysterious cosmic cloud is now more famous as Hubble's Variable Nebula. So what makes Hubble's nebula vary? NGC 2261 is composed of a dusty reflection nebula fanning out from the star R Monocerotis. The leading variability explanation holds that dense knots of obscuring dust pass close to R Mon and cast moving shadows across the dust clouds in the rest of Hubble's Variable Nebula.
© Tommy Lease