Hidden Objects Along Center of Milky Way Detected Through Infrared

The VVV survey (VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea) of the VISTA telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile has allowed astronomers to see the central parts of the Milky Way as never before.

Using infrared light, the VVV imaged the Trifid Nebula and revealed that the gas cloud has been hiding two Cepheid variable stars directly behind it but at a far distance.

The pair of cepheid stars hidden by the Trifid Nebula is estimated to be around 37,000 light years away from Earth while the Trifid Nebula is at 5,200 light years away. Cepheid variables are unstable bright stars that brightens and fades over time, in this case, a period of 11 days.

These two stars are the only two known Cepheid variables that are close to the central plane of the Milky Way which is 27,000 light years away from Earth.

The Vista Variables in the Via Lactea is an astronomical survey to map the Milky Way, it's bulge and the disk area close to the center of the galaxy. The VVV survey previously assisted astronomers in constructing a three dimensional map of the Milky Way

Cometary Globule CG4 (God's Hand) Imaged by VLT

The VLT Survey Telescope, the largest telescope designed to exclusively survey the skies in visible light, imaged cometary globule CG4 or God's Hand as it is also known.

Cometary globules are faint, dimly lit, and hard to detect gas clouds that resemble comets although they have no relation to them. Cometary globules are identified by their small size and are found to have isolated, relatively small clouds of neutral gas and dust surrounded by hot ionised material.

It is a mystery to astronomers as to how cometary globules are formed.

God's Hand is 1300 light years from Earth and can be found in the constellation Puppis (The Poop, or Stern). CG4 gas a diameter if 1.5 light years and its tail is 8 light years long. Compared to other celestial objects, the dimensions of CG4 are small.

This picture comes from the ESO Cosmic Gems programme, an outreach initiative to produce images of interesting, intriguing or visually attractive objects using ESO telescopes, for the purposes of education and public outreach. The programme makes use of telescope time that cannot be used for science observations. All data collected may also be suitable for scientific purposes, and are made available to astronomers through ESO’s science archive.

Mysterious Void In Space In Latest MPG/ESO Telescope Image

In the newly released ESO image, the starfield seemed to be devoid of stars in a particular area.

The new image of the MPG/ESO 2.2 meter telescope shows an area of empty space amidst a field of stars. This "dark area" is not really empty space but a dark cloud called LDN 483 or Lynds Dark Nebula 483.

Nebulas or Nebulae are clouds of dust and gas in space where planets and stars are formed. Dark Nebulas are different in the sense that the cloud has enough material of dust inside of it that it completely blocks all the light emitted by the stars behind it. Compared to other types of nebulae, dark nebulae are believed to have the most conducive and fertile environment to create stars.

LDN 483 is around 700 light-years away in the constellation of Serpens (The Serpent).

Twenty Years Later: Hubble Telescope Recaptures Pillars of Creation in HD

The Pillars of Creation is one of the most memorable and iconic images taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Telescope in 1995.

Now, 20 years after the image was taken, the Hubble telescope returned to that location and took an even clearer and amazing image of the Pillars of Creation in HD. Watch accompanying video (Hubblecast 82) for more details.

The Pillars of Creation is a part of Messier 16 or the Eagle Nebula. Nebulas are clouds of gas and dust in space where stars and planets start to form. It is believed that our own Sun was formed in a similar region resembling the Pillars.

The new mage of the Pillars of Creation is so iconic that it is not unnatural to see the image in movies, t-shirts, stamps, and accessories. Its release marks the 25th year of the Hubble Telescope in orbit and was presented at the 225th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle, Washington, USA.

Bubble Shaped Planetary Nebula Abell 33 In Hydra Constellation Imaged

A Nebula is an interstellar cloud made up of dist and gases. The word "nebula" is latin for cloud. These astronomical objects are regions where stars are made due to the materials present in the nebula which are needed to form a star.

Dust and ionized gasses such as hydrogen and helium start to amass together getting larger and larger until they become massive enough to form a star. Some of the materials present in the nebula can also form planets and other astronomical object.

Abell 33 found in the constellation Hydra, 2500 light-years from Earth, is a planetary nebula. This type of nebula does not form planets as the name implies. It was a misnomer that has been carried on when William Herschel incorrectly thought of that and coined the term. It has been called that every since.

Planetary nebulas are emission type nebulas that are formed when stars eject ionized gas in its later stages, this gas forms an expanding glowing shell. They are important in the evolution of stars since planetary nebulas contain heavy elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen.

VLT Survey Telescope Captures Messier 8 Lagoon Nebula in Rich Detail

The European Southern Observatory used its VLT Survey Telescope at Paranal Observatory in Chile to capture the image of the Lagoon Nebula in rich detail.

This is part of the The VST/OmegaCam Photometric Hα Survey (VPHAS+) which is one of three imaging surveys that use visible light with the VST. These are complemented by six infrared surveys with the VISTA survey telescope. There are also two other surveys that have distinct objectives; The Gaia-ESO Survey and the Public ESO Spectroscopic Survey of Transient Objects (PESSTO). The Gaia-ESO Survey uses the VLT to map the properties of more than 100 000 stars in the Milky Way. PESSTO is studying transient objects such as supernovas with the New Technology Telescope at La Silla.

These surveys are used to find out more about the Universe such as the nature of dark energy, quasars, structures of galaxies and studying other objects in detail.

Data from all of these surveys are now publicly available and accessible through the ESO Science Archive Facility (see related links below).

The Lagoon Nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases. Nebulas are regions where stars are formed. The materials needed to form stars such as hydrogen and other gases are abundant in a nebula. Stars are formed when dust and gas start to clump together and gain mass. As the mass gets more dense and generates heat, thermonuclear fusion starts and a star starts to form.

Supernova Remnant at the Dragon's Head Nebula Captured

The European Southern Observatory using the FORS (FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph) instrument captured a detailed image of NGC 2035 known as the Dragon's Head Nebula. The image shows filaments of gas and dust clouds that resulted from a supernova explosion.

A nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases.

The Dragon's Head Nebula is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The LMC is a galaxy 163,000 light years away and contains around 35 million stars. The LMC is smaller than the Milky Way galaxy at 14,000 light years wide compared to the Milky Way's width of 100,000 light years.

APEX Telescope To See Further into the Universe with ArTeMiS Camera

The Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEx) telescope used to capture detailed images of the Universe got a significant boost with the addition of the ArTeMiS camera. Artemis will help APEX take images faster and with higher pixel resolutions.

The ArTeMiS camera is a large bolometer camera in the submillimeter range on APEX. A bolometer is a device that is used to measure infrared, or heat, radiation. ARTEMIS stands for Architectures de bolomètres pour des Télescopes à grand champ de vue dans le domaine sub-Millimétrique au Sol which in English translates to the Bolometer arrays for wide-field submillimetre ground-based telescopes.

The image above is the Cat's Paw Nebula in the southern constellation of Scorpius (The Scorpion) as captured by the Artemis camera. This detailed image is significantly clearer than previous images captured by the APEX telescope alone.

The APEX project is a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR), the Onsala Space Observatory (OSO) and the Eurpean Southern Observatory (ESO). Operation of APEX at Chajnantor is entrusted to ESO.

Sharpest Image of Prawn Nebula (IC 4628) and Star Cluster Collinder 316 Imaged by the ESO

The European Southern Observatory just released the sharpest image of the Prawn Nebula (IC 4628) and the star cluster star, Collinder 316. The Prawn Nebula is 6,000 light years away in the constellation of Scorpius (The Scorpion)

A nebula is a cloud of dust and gas where stars are made. Ionized gasses such as helium and hydrogen combine with interstellar dust and start to gain mass. Over milions of years, the mass gets more dense and starts to generate heat. Once thermonuclear fusion starts a star starts to form.

The image of the Prawn Nebula was taken by the largest telescope in the world, the VLT Survey Telescope (VST). It is a 2.6-metre telescope built around the OmegaCAM camera that contains 32 CCD detectors that can create 268-megapixel images. This new 24 000-pixel-broad image is a mosaic of two such images and is one of the largest single images released by ESO so far.

This is the 1000th press release by the ESO. A milestone that started in 1985 when it featured an image of Halley's comet by the ESO 1 metre Schmidt telescope at La Silla on December 9, 1985 .

Galaxy Sized Cloud of Hydrogen Gas Discovered in Supposedly Empty Region of Space

Hydrogen clouds the size of a dwarf galaxy have been discovered by the Green Bank Telescope between two galaxies (Andromeda -M31 and Triangulum -M33). M31 is at the upper right while M33 is at the bottom left. This high resolution image was captured by the GBT and combined with the image of two galaxies to give it some perspective.
Credit: Bill Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF

Astronomers at the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) have discovered a huge cloud of hydrogen gas in a region of space that is supposedly empty of matter. Scientists are studying the object as the source of the gas is still unknown.

The cloud is unusual since the size is as big as a small dwarf galaxy and is moving at a speed comparable to its two nearest galaxy neighbors, Andromeda (M31) and Triangulum (M33). It is also believed that a dark matter filament is responsible for giving the cloud a gravitational structure that keeps it together.

Dark matter is a type of matter that is believed to account for 84.5% of the total matter in the universe. Dark matter cannot be seen or observed directly as it does not absorb light or any other type of radiation.

Although it is too early to tell if this cloud is a new object or feature, clouds of gas and dust in space are called nebulas. Nebulas are regions in space where stars are formed from the gas and clouds. The discovered cloud of hydrogen gas is not a star forming region.

It is theorized that the gas may one day fall into either of the two galaxies and initiate the process of forming new stars.

Combination Reflection Nebula and Emission Nebula in NGC 6559 Imaged

The Danish 1.54-metre telescope located at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile has captured a striking image of NGC 6559, an object that showcases the anarchy that reigns when stars form inside an interstellar cloud.

An interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases is called a nebula. This region of space is where stars are formed. The materials needed to form stars such as hydrogen and other gases are abundant in a nebula. Stars are formed when dust and gas start to clump together and gain mass. As the mass gets more dense and generates heat, thermonuclear fusion starts and a star starts to form.

NGC 6559 is a nebula that was imaged by the Danish Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera (DFOSC) in La Silla Observatory. The colors radiated of the object are from the light given off by the newly formed stars and because of the gasses present in the center gives the nebula a reddish glow and the dust cloud beside it blocks light which gives the nebula a dark and bluish tinge in that area. It is this combination of gas and dust that makes NGC 6559 both an emission nebula in the red part, and a diffusion nebula in the darker area.

Glowing Green Cell-Like Object - Nebula IC 1295 Imaged in Space

Nebula IC 1295 is a glowing green nebula that resembles a cellular microorganism. The ESO's Very Large Telescope captured the most detailed image of the planetary nebula every taken.

Nebulae or Nebulas are interstellar clouds of dust and gasses. These regions in space are where stars are formed. The clouds of gas and dust in a nebula clump together and over millions of years form a star. Even planets and other interstellar objects are also formed in nebulae.

These are four general types of nebulas; Diffuse Nebula, Planetary Nebula, Protoplanetary Nebula and a Supernova Remnant. Nebula IC 1295 is a planetary nebula. Planetary nebulas are formed when ionized gas is ejected from stars. The ejected gas then expands into a glowing shell which forms the planetary nebula.

Lobster Nebula NGC 6357 Imaged In Infrared By VISTA Telescope

The Lobster Nebula (NGC 6357) is captured in an infrared image by the European Southern Observatory's VISTA Telescope in infrared. The image shows the object in a surprising new light.

A Nebula is a region where stars are fromed. Nebulae (or nebulas) are made up of clouds of gas and dust. Over millions of years. these gas and dust clouds start massing together to form stars.

The Lobster Nebula is the informal name for Messier 17, also known as NGC 6357. This nebula is imaged in infrared which shows features of the nebula that is not picked up in visible-light images. This may happen because the object is too cold, blocked by the thick dust in the nebula, or is very far that the light that can be detected is in the red end of the spectrum. The farther an object is, the closer to the red spectrum (infrared) it is. Closer objects shift more to the blue spectrum of light.

In the case of the Lobster Nebula, the infrared image penetrates most of the clouds of dust blocking the light.

Lobster Nebula

Seagull Nebula IC 2177 Shows Off Its Wings

Entire Seagull Nebula

Nebulae or nebulas are regions in space where astronomers believe stars are formed. Nebulae are composed of clouds gas and dust that start to clump together to form stars and even planets.

Just like the clouds in the sky, these nebulae also seem to form various forms that resemble animals or things such as the Seagull Nebula or IC 2177.

The Seagull Nebula are clouds of gas that resemble the head of a seagull with both its wings spread out. This was previously also imaged by ESO’s La Silla Observatory late last year. The bright color manifested by the nebula is caused by strong ultraviolet radiation from a very hot young star (HD 53367) in its core . The whole form of the seagull is made up of three clouds of gas that when observed forms it's head, left wing and right wing.

The Seagull Nebula can be located on the border between the constellations of Monoceros (The Unicorn) and Canis Major (The Great Dog). It is near Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.

A new image of IC 2177 was released by the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory in Chile. It focused on the intricate structure of the Seagull's wings which is formed by dark and glowing red clouds.

Reflection Nebula NGC 1999 in Orion Imaged By APEX LABOCA Camera

A new image from the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) telescope in Chile shows a beautiful view of clouds of cosmic dust in the region of Orion. While these dense interstellar clouds seem dark and obscured in visible-light observations, APEX’s LABOCA camera can detect the heat glow of the dust and reveal the hiding places where new stars are being formed. The image shows the region around the reflection nebula NGC 1999 in visible light, with the APEX observations overlaid in brilliant orange tones that seem to set the dark clouds on fire.
Credit: ESO/APEX (MPIfR/ESO/OSO)/T. Stanke et al./Digitized Sky Survey 2

A nebula is a cloud of dust and gas in outer space. These are where stars are formed. The gas and dust in the cloud start to collapse into each other gaining mass and density until it forms a star (which takes millions of years). Nebula is latin for cloud.

There are different types of nebulae such as Emission nebulae, reflection nebulae, dark nebulae, planetary nebulae and supernova remnants.

Some nebulae emit light because of the surrounding gas getting ionized. Dark nebulae are nebulae that do not emit light and appear as a dark spot or cloud in the sky.

A reflection nebula, just like NGC 1999, is a nebula that reflects light from nearby stars. It is similar to a dark nebula but they are less dense than dark nebula which allows the reflected light to scatter.

The boundaries of a reflection nebula is not defined by the size of the dust cloud but rather the area over which their brightness remains above the point of detection.

Supernova Remnant W50 Resembles A Manatee

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory has adopted a new nickname for W50 of "The Manatee Nebula," because the likeness between it and a resting Florida Manatee is too uncanny to ignore. Left: The W50 supernova remnant in radio (green) glows against the infrared background of stars and dust (red). Right: A Florida Manatee rests underwater in Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River, Florida.
Credit: Left: NSF's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), NRAO/AUI/NSF, K. Golap, M. Goss; NASA’s Wide Field Survey Explorer (WISE). Right: Tracy Colson

A supernova remnant found in the constellation of Aquila has been imaged and is found to resemble a resting Florida Manatee.

When a star runs out of fuel or reaches critical mass, it explodes into a supernove. The explosion expels stellar material at a rate of about 30,000 kilometers per second (10% of the speed of light).

The structure that results from the supernova is called a Supernova Remnant (SNR). It is bounded by the shockwave from the supernova and is made up of the ejected material from the explosion.

The Crab Nebula is an example of a supernova remnant.

Some of the SNR found in the sky resemble common objects or animals such as the Owl Nebula, The Crab Nebula, or the Veil Nebula.

Star Forming Molecular Cloud Lupus 3 Captured In Amazing Detail

Most interstellar clouds of dust and gas are where stars are formed. The surrounding matter start to form large masses which will eventually become stars. Planets and other objects are also formed within these regions. Clouds like Lupus 3 are called 'dark clouds' or 'molecular clouds'.

A molecular cloud is a type of star forming region where molecules, most commonly molecular hydrogen (H₂), are formed. The stars formed in the image are called Herbig Ae/Be stars (named after astronomer George Howard Herbig).

Herbig Ae/Be stars are still in their star forming space and are not yet burning hydrogen for fuel. Instead, they shine by converting gravitational potential energy into heat as they contract.

Wishing You The Best of the Holidays!

This image is courtesy of the Hubble Space Telescope.

The Planetary Nebula, NGC B5189 resembles a gift ribbon in space. What better way to appreciate the universe than by gazing at this amazing and beautiful object.

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! All the best to each and everyone!

RELATED LINKS

A swoosh in space: Merry Christmas from Hubble

Largest Area Image of Carina Nebula Captured By VLT and OmegaCAM

One of the largest nebula in outer space, the Carina Nebula, has been imaged by the VLT in very fine detail with the help of its new camera, the OmegaCAM.

A nebula is a cloud of gas and dust in interstellar space. Most nebula are formed when surrounding dust and gas collapse into each other due to its weight and gravity. As these gas and dust collapse into each other, new stars are formed.

Other nebulae are formed when a star reaches the end of its life and explodes into a supernova. Ionized gas and matter are ejected by the supernova as it explodes and a neutron star usually is formed in the middle of this type of nebula.

Nebulae glow in different colors depending on the type of gas surrounding them. Hydrogen gas, for example, emits a reddish glow while ionized oxygen has a greenish glow. The Carina Nebula glows red as imaged by the VLT.

Nebulae are bright and emit a glow because of the ionization of the surrounding gas by ultraviolet radiation. Ultraviolet light is invisible to the naked eye but this type of energy ionizes the surrounding gas which makes it light up. This is similar to the process of a fluorescent light tube.

Binary Stars Discovered Orbiting Center Of Fleming 1 Nebula By ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT)

The European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) disovered a pair of stars orbiting each other at the center of the planetary nebula, Fleming 1. This discovery may explain the pattern Fleming 1 forms from its ejected gas.