Posted on 09/12/2012 9:18:50 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Explanation: In this crowded starfield covering over 2 degrees within the high flying constellation Cygnus, the eye is drawn to the Cocoon Nebula. A compact star forming region, the cosmic Cocoon punctuates a long trail of obscuring interstellar dust clouds. Cataloged as IC 5146, the nebula is nearly 15 light-years wide, located some 4,000 light years away. Like other star forming regions, it stands out in red, glowing, hydrogen gas excited by the young, hot stars and blue, dust-reflected starlight at the edge of an otherwise invisible molecular cloud. In fact, the bright star near the center of this nebula is likely only a few hundred thousand years old, powering the nebular glow as it clears out a cavity in the molecular cloud's star forming dust and gas. But the long dusty filaments that appear dark in this visible light image are themselves hiding stars in the process of formation, seen at infrared wavelengths.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit & Copyright: Fabian Neyer]
Rush fans will be glad to learn this is in Cygnus.
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Yet another glorious picture of the heavens.
Perhaps someday you will let us all in on your secret in how you do all of these from your backyard using your 3 megapixel digital camera....
Those pics you took from Mars were one of a kind. How long have you been back home now?(I just knew that cold Martian climate would get to ya)
Sometimes when I look at a picture like this, it seems that if the exposure were long enough, the entire frame would be white because there are that many stars in the infinity of space.
He hitched a ride.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2929679/posts?page=28#28
I couldn’t hold my breath any longer. ;’)
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