
A NASA Hubble Space Telescope "true color" mosaic image of a small portion of the Orion Nebula, taken the Wide Field and Planetary Camera (in wide field mode).
Hubble shows a wealth of detail never seen before in the nebula. New features include: elongated objects oriented on the brightest stars in this region (which are located just off the edge of the picture); rapidly expanding plumes of material around young stars; and protoplanetary disks.
This color photograph is a composite of separate images taken at the wavelengths of three abundant elements in the nebula: Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen. The images were taken August 13 and 14, 1991.
The image is 1.29 light-years across.
Credits
Credit: C.R. O'Dell (Rice University), and NASAAbout The Object | |
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Object Name | Orion Nebula |
R.A. Position | 05h 35m 17.29s |
Dec. Position | -5° 23' 27.99" |
About The Object | |
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Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
Distance | The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. |
Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
About The Data | |
Data Description |
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Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
About The Image | |
Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |