NASA has unveiled a collection of five stunning images that showcase the breathtaking beauty of the cosmos, captured by their specialized telescopes. These images, depicting the Sun, Andromeda galaxy, and nebulae, reveal the intricate and dynamic structures of the stellar universe, using infrared light to uncover details never seen before.
The Sun in High-Energy X-Rays
NASA released a composite image of the Sun, captured by three of their telescopes: the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), the X-ray Telescope (XRT), and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA). This magnificent image combines high-energy X-ray data, lower energy X-ray data, and ultraviolet light to reveal the Sun’s dynamic nature. NuSTAR, equipped to capture high-energy X-rays, complements the work of Hinode’s XRT and SDO’s AIA, which detect wavelengths emitted across the entire face of the Sun.
Orion Nebula: A Dusty Landscape
A new infrared image of the Orion Nebula, produced using data from three telescopes, reveals a landscape of dust, devoid of stars. Two massive caverns, carved by unseen giant stars that release up to a million times more light than our Sun, dominate the image. These cavities are formed by radiation that pushes away dust grains. The image displays a vibrant palette of blue light, indicating warm dust heated by these unseen stars, while the greenish hue represents slightly cooler dust.
Eagle Nebula: The Pillars of Creation in Infrared
NASA’s Wide Field Survey Explorer (WISE) captured an infrared image of the Eagle Nebula, a star formation region located about 5,700 light years away from Earth. This image showcases the entire structure of the nebula, including the iconic Pillars of Creation, visible as a faint yellow-green color inside a white circle. The infrared light reveals the intricate details of the nebula’s dusty landscape, showcasing the birthplaces of new stars.
Andromeda Galaxy: A Dust Cloud Symphony
An image of the Andromeda galaxy, also known as M31, was created using data from the European Space Agency (ESA) Herschel mission, the retired Planck observatory, and two retired NASA missions: the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) and the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE). This spectacular image reveals the intricate structure of dust clouds within the galaxy in high resolution. The image uses color to represent different components: red indicates hydrogen gas, green represents cold dust, and warmer dust is shown in blue.
Godzilla Nebula: A Colorful Cloud of Gas and Dust
NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope captured a breathtaking image of the Godzilla Nebula, a cloud of gas and dust located about 7,800 light years from Earth. The image, taken in infrared light, reveals the distinct outline of Godzilla, with a bright region in the lower left known as W33. The colors in the image correspond to different components: dust and organic molecules called hydrocarbons appear green, while warm dust heated by stars or supernovae appears red.
