The Edge of the Orion Nebula

Image of a gas plume at the edge of the Orion Nebula.

Thursday, May 17, 2007 10:43

Hubble Space Telescope took this "true colour" mosaic image of a small part of the Orion Nebula. You can see expanding plumes of material around young stars and protoplanetary disks.

Protoplanetary disks are rotating disks of dense gas surrounding young stars. Sometimes these disks are a part of the process that creates planets.

The colours in the photo are a composite of seperate images taken at different wavelengths to capture the most abundant elements in the nebula: Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen.

:: NASA

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News from Space is a short factual tidbit dealing with the latest information from space and Earth-based telescopes and satellites, as well as the occasional happening at NASA, the CSA, or some of the world's other space agencies. Check out cool images from the Hubble, the Spitzer, the Chandra, or from the many great observatories around the planet. 
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