Photo credit: science.nasa.gov
An exquisite image captured by the NASA Hubble Space Telescope reveals a small section of the stellar nursery known as Sh2-284. This vast expanse of gas and dust serves as a cradle for star formation, with newborn stars illuminating the surrounding clouds in vibrant color. In this infrared photograph, clusters of young stars emit a rosy glow, distinctly visible amidst puffy formations of gas and dust, marked by areas of denser material that appear as dark knots.
The infrared perspective provided by Hubble allows for visibility of stars that would typically be hidden from view by the dense material of Sh2-284. Unlike visible light, infrared wavelengths can penetrate these clouds, revealing the ongoing processes of star formation within.
This nebula’s structure is heavily influenced by a young cluster of stars named Dolidze 25, which remains unseen in this particular Hubble image. These stars are relatively young, ranging from 1.5 to 13 million years of age, especially when compared to our own Sun, which is about 4.6 billion years old. The intense winds and radiation emitted by this central cluster interact with the surrounding gas and dust, sculpting the nebula into intricate shapes and towering pillars. This dynamic environment qualifies Sh2-284 as an HII region, an emission nebula predominantly made up of ionized hydrogen. As nearby stars emit substantial ultraviolet radiation, they energize the gas within the nebula, causing it to emit its own light.
Furthermore, Sh2-284 is characterized by its low metallicity, indicating a scarcity of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. This attribute is significant as it simulates the conditions of the early universe, a time when matter primarily consisted of helium and hydrogen, and the formation of heavier elements was just beginning through the nuclear fusion processes in massive stars. Hubble’s observations of this nebula contribute to a broader understanding of how low metallicity affects stellar formation, offering insights into conditions that prevail in the young universe.
Located approximately 15,000 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros, Sh2-284 lies at the edge of an outer spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy.
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Media Contact:
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
Source
science.nasa.gov