Wisps Surrounding the Horsehead Nebula
影像版權與提供: Star Shadows Remote Observatory
Explanation:
The famous Horsehead Nebula in Orion is not alone. A deep exposure shows that the dark familiar shaped indentation, visible just below center, is part of a vast complex of absorbing dust and glowing gas. To bring out details of the Horsehead's pasture, amateur astronomers at the Star Shadow Remote Observatory in New Mexico, USA fixed a small telescope on the region for over seven hours filtering out all but a very specific color of red light emitted by hydrogen. They then added the image to a full color frame taken over three hours. The resulting spectacular picture details an intricate tapestry of gaseous wisps and dust-laden filaments that were created and sculpted over eons by stellar winds and ancient supernovas. The Horsehead Nebula lies 1,500 light years distant towards the constellation of Orion. Two stars from the Orion's Belt can be found in the above image.
說明:
著名的獵戶馬頭星雲並不孤單，長時間曝光影像顯示，影像中左下方這片我們很熟悉的暗色斑塊 ，是一個巨大 塵埃和輝光雲氣團的一部份。為了得到這片馬頭星野的細微結構，美國．新墨西哥州星影遠距天文台的業餘天文學家，在氫原子所發出的某一特定紅光波段，用一部小望遠鏡對這區域進行七小時的攝影，所得的影像再和另一幅曝光三小時的全彩影像疊加，才得到這張壯麗的照片；影像中清楚可見許多亙古以來被恆星風和古超新星所雕塑出來的雲氣絲和塵埃帶。馬頭星雲位在北天的獵戶座裡，距離我們約有一千五百光年。在這張影像裡，可見到獵人腰帶三星的其中兩顆。
資料來源: Scientific American
Department of Physics, NCKU
