Image ssc2007-01c

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Image Gallery > Astronomical Images > Star Formation > ssc2007-01c

NASA/JPL-Caltech/N. Flagey (IAS/SSC) & A. Noriega-Crespo (SSC/Caltech)

Eagle Nebula Flaunts Its Infrared Feathers

This set of images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Eagle nebula in different hues of infrared light. Each view tells a different tale. The left picture shows lots of stars and dusty structures with clarity. Dusty molecules found on Earth called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons produce most of the red; gas is green and stars are blue.

The middle view is packed with drama, because it tells astronomers that a star in this region violently erupted, or went supernova, heating surrounding dust (orange). This view also reveals that the hot dust is shell shaped, another indication that a star exploded.

The final picture highlights the contrast between the hot, supernova-heated dust (green) and the cooler dust making up the region's dusty star-forming clouds and towers (red, blue and purple).

The left image is a composite of infrared light with the following wavelengths: 3.6 microns (blue); 4.5 microns (green); 5.8 microns (orange); and 8 microns (red). The right image includes longer infrared wavelengths, and is a composite of light of 4.5 to 8.0 microns (blue); 24 microns (green); and 70 microns (red). The middle image is made up solely of 24-micron light.

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About the Object (1)
Object name: Eagle Nebula
Object type: Star-Forming Region
Position (J2000): RA: 18h 18m 53.00s Dec: -13° 45' 25.00"
Distance: 2 kiloparsecs (~6500 light-years)
Constellation: Serpens

About the Data

Spitzer Data

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/N. Flagey (IAS/SSC) & A. Noriega-Crespo (SSC/Caltech)
Instrument: IRAC + MIPS
Wavelength: 4.5 microns, 8.0 microns, 24 microns and 70 microns
Image scale: 28 x 32 arcminutes
Orientation: North is 88.4 degrees counter-clockwise from up
Release Date: 2007/01/09

Observers

S. Carey (SSC/Caltech)
A. Noriega-Crespo (SSC/Caltech)
F. Boulanger (IAS, France)
S. Price (AFRL)
R. Indebetouw (U. Virginia)
N. Flagey (IAS/SSC)
R. Paladini (SSC/Caltech)
S. Shenoy (SSC/Caltech)
F. Marleau (SSC/Caltech)
K. Kraemer (AFRL)
D. Mizuno (Boston College)
D. Padgett (SSC/Caltech)
T. Kuchar (Boston College)

Additional Info

Press Release: Famous Space Pillars Feel the Heat of Star's Explosion

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