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Snake in Galactic Plane (Spitzer)

Telescope image showing a black serpentine structure on a background of green.

The Snake is a serpentine-shaped, extremely filamentary cloud. In this infrared image from the Spitzer Space Telescope, the blue dots are stars relatively undimmed by dust, while the red dots are embedded, forming stars.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    5:31:22.7
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    +12:15: 30.1
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Orion
  • Distance
    DistanceThe 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.
    10,800 Light years

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data 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.
    Taken by the Spitzer Infrared Telescope
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    IRAC, MIPS
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    3600nm, 4500nm, 8000nm, 24000nm
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    IRDC G11.11-0.11
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Thick cloud in galactic plane
  • Release Date
    April 10, 2020
  • Science Release
    Piercing the Dark Birthplaces of Massive Stars with Webb
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, Caltech, Sean Carey (SSC)

Downloads

  • Full Res (For Print), 1460 × 902
    tif (3.79 MB)
  • Full Res (For Display), 1460 × 902
    png (2.55 MB)
Telescope image showing a black serpentine structure on a background of green.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by Spitzer. Several filters were used to sample specific infrared wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Violet: 3600nm Blue: 4500nm Green: 8000nm Red: 24000nm

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Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Image Credit

NASA, Caltech, Sean Carey (SSC)

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