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Comparison Views of ‘Mystic Mountain’
These two images of a three-light-year-high pillar of star birth demonstrate how observations taken in visible and infrared light by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope reveal dramatically different and complementary views of an object. The pair of images demonstrate how Hubble's new panchromatic view of the universe shows striking differences between visible and infrared wavelengths. This turbulent cosmic pinnacle lies within a tempestuous stellar nursery called the Carina Nebula, located 7,500 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina. The images mark the 20th anniversary of Hubble's launch and deployment into an orbit around Earth.
[Left] – This visible-light view shows how scorching radiation and fast winds (streams of charged particles) from super-hot newborn stars in the nebula are shaping and compressing the pillar, causing new stars to form within it. Infant stars buried inside it fire off jets of gas that can be seen streaming from towering peaks. Streamers of hot ionized gas can be seen flowing off the ridges of the structure, and wispy veils of gas and dust, illuminated by starlight, float around it. The dense parts of the pillar are resisting being eroded by radiation much like a towering butte in Utah's Monument Valley withstands erosion by water and wind. The colors in this composite image correspond to the glow of oxygen (blue), hydrogen and nitrogen (green), and sulfur (red).
[Right] – This near-infrared-light image shows a plethora of stars behind the gaseous veil of the nebula's background wall of hydrogen, laced with dust. The foreground pillar becomes semi-transparent because infrared light from background stars penetrates through much of the dust. A few stars inside the pillar also become visible. The false colors are assigned to three different infrared wavelength ranges.
Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 observed the pillar in February and March 2010.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.10h 44m 5.25s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.-59° 29' 44.99"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Carina
- DistanceDistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.7,500 light-years (2,300 parsecs)
- DimensionsDimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.This image is 84 arcseconds (3.1 light-years or 0.94 parsec) wide.
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.This image was created from HST data from proposal 12050: M. Livio, K. Noll, M. Mutchler, Z. Levay, L. Frattare, W. Januszewski, C. Christian, and T. Borders (Hubble 20th Anniversary Team, STScI). - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>WFC3/UVIS (left), HST>WFC3/IR (right)
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.February 1-2, 2010, Exposure Time: 9.3 hours (left), February/March 2010, Exposure Time: 12 hours (right)
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.WFC3/UVIS (left): F673N ([S II]), F657N (H-alpha+[N II]), and F502N ([O III]) WFC3/IR (right): F126N ([Fe II]), F128N (Paschen-beta), and F164N ([Fe II])
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.HH 901 and HH 902 in the Carina Nebula
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Carina Nebula Star-forming Pillars and Herbig-Haro Objects with Jets
- Release DateApril 22, 2010
- Science ReleaseStarry-Eyed Hubble Celebrates 20 Years of Awe and Discovery
- CreditsNASA, ESA, Hubble 20th Anniversary Team, Mario Livio (STScI)
This image is a composite of separate exposures made by the WFC3 instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Each filter was used to sample a narrow wavelength range over a broad range of the visible colors. The composite color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: WFC3/UVIS (Visible) Red: F673N ([S II]) Green: F657N (H-alpha+[N II]) Blue: F502N ([O III]) WFC3/IR (Infrared) Red: F126N ([Fe II]) Green: F128N (Paschen-beta) Blue: F164N ([Fe II])
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
