Hubble Space Telescope is at it again. The space telescope has captured a striking image of a cosmic cloud of dust and gas, which was illuminated by starlight, forming a structure known as an emission nebula.
This nebula dubbed NGC 2313 or LDN 1653 is around 3,750 light-years away from the Earth. The telescope leveraged its Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) instrument, which is capable of looking in both the visible light and near-IR wavelengths.
Star radiation makes cloud glow
Emission nebulae are basically clouds made up of ionized gas that light up due to the stars within them. The gas is ionized when the star emits radiation, making the cloud glow. In the latest image, the star V565 is placed right in the center of the image and is making the nebula glow.
The image also shows 4 diffraction spikes around the star, which show up due to a phenomenon called the starburst effect. Bright cosmic bodies such as stars appear to feature spikes due to the way they are captured by telescopes.
Striking resemblance to comets
Such nebulae were once referred to as “cometary nebulae,” because the shape of a star resembles a comet and its tail of dust and gas can be seen. However, this name is misleading as these nebulae have no relation to comets.
“The language that astronomers use changes as we become better acquainted with the universe, and astronomical history is littered with now-obsolete phrases to describe objects in the night sky, such as ‘spiral nebulae’ for spiral galaxies or ‘inferior planets’ for Mercury and Venus,” said Hubble scientists.
Besides, the space telescope also observed the massive PDS 70b planet to study its growth. The planet’s star is located 370 light-years away from the Earth. This is one of the few times the telescope has been imaged a planet directly. Mostly, they are detected by examining light changes coming from the host star.
Hubble telescope has also captured “Necklace Nebula” stars. NASA describes it as a “diamond necklace of cosmic proportions.” The nebula is located 15,000 light-years away and is a part of the Sagitta Constellation.
