Beautiful Carina Nebula
In July 2022, after the first five photos and spectra of James Webb were released, people’s computer wallpapers began to change.
In particular, the fourth “Cosmic Cliff” in the Carina Nebula (or η Carinae Nebula, NGC name: NGC 3372), which has been unveiled for the fourth time, is so stunning that it has been chosen as one of the most beautiful space photos by the public. is a celestial body Therefore, the cosmic cliff seen through the eyes of the James Webb Space Telescope is also a great curiosity for people.. (Shortcut to related article – ““Cosmic Cliffs” of the Carina Nebula Revealed in Detail”)
The cosmic cliff seen through the eyes of the James Webb Space Telescope also draws great curiosity from people. ⓒ NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
The Carina Nebula is of great astronomical significance.
The Carina Nebula is a very complex large-scale nebula that lies about 7,600 light-years from Earth (one light-year equals 9.46 trillion kilometers). Therefore, the nebula itself is of great astronomical significance. Among them, NGC 3324 open cluster (a group of thousands of stars of similar age born in the same molecular cloud) is a young star forming region, first observed in 1826. At the right edge of open cluster NGC 3324 is a ‘cosmic cliff’ where the nebula’s walls are being slowly eroded by stellar winds and intense stellar radiation from young, hot stars.
At the right edge of open cluster NGC 3324 is a ‘cosmic cliff’ where the nebula’s walls are being slowly eroded by stellar winds and intense ultraviolet stellar radiation from hot young stars. © Megan Reiter et al. 2022, Rice University, NASA
Newly released Carina Open Star Cluster cosmic cliff image – focus on dozens of jets and young stars
In the first picture, the “steam plume” that appears to rise from the mountain peaks within the Cosmic Cliff shows hot ionized gas and hot dust expelled from the nebula by intense ultraviolet light. In particular, dust-encrusted incipient stars have been found ejecting gold-colored incipient jets and outflows into the interstellar medium.
Accordingly, an international astronomy research team led by Prof. Megan Reiter began focusing on dozens of jets and young stars found in images of the cosmic cliff taken with a near-infrared camera (NIRCam).
The newly released image focuses on dozens of jets and young stars found in images of the cosmic cliff taken with a near-infrared camera (NIRCam). © NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Megan Reiter (Rice University), Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI)
The newly released image is a reconstruction of the first image, released in July 2022, by separating different wavelengths of light to highlight the location of hydrogen molecules essential for star formation. Many of the secrets to star formation in the NGC 3324 open cluster are hidden in wavelengths of visible light, but the ability to detect jet outflows with the infrared-sensitive James Webb Space Telescope hints at unlocking secrets long-awaited by astronomers. can be obtained.
As in the last release, the north and east compass arrows show the direction of the image when viewed from below, the arrows should be reversed for directions when viewed from above. The scale bar is expressed in light years, the distance light travels in one year. It takes about two years for light to travel the length of the scale bar.
A zoomed-in view of the region of the cosmic cliff where active hydrogen molecular outflow is located. © NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Megan Reiter (Rice University), Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI)
Six filters were used in the last photo taken with the near-infrared camera, but in the photo above, the F470N (4.7 micrometers, marked in red), the F444W (4.44 micrometers, marked in green), and the F187N (1.87 micrometers, marked in blue) ) were used. The featured image shows a zoomed-in view of the region of the cosmic cliff where active hydrogen molecular outflows are located. For reference, background stars that are not related to the above have already been removed from the photo.
Several outflows were identified. The upper area corresponds to the part of the fourth (lower right) picture of the picture immediately above. © Reiter et al. 2022/Rice University, NASA
Professor Leiter, who led the study, discovered a total of 31 new eruptions through this study. In addition, it reported the discovery of seven new Herbig-Haro objects (13 in total), which are small nebula-like objects ejected when young stars collide with clouds of gas or dust at high speeds.
Summary of objects ejecting early star jets and outflows; a total of 31 outflows have been identified. © Reiter et al. 2022/Rice University, NASA
Professor Leiter added that through the above research, comprehensive information on atomic and molecular components can be obtained, which is astronomical knowledge that is only possible through James Webb, who has unprecedented sensitivity and extremely fine angular resolution.
* Go to related papers – “Deep diving off the ‘Cosmic Cliffs’: previously hidden outflows in NGC 3324 revealed by JWST”
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