Fast Stars and Rogue Planets in the Orion Nebula
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble
Explanation: Start with the constellation of Orion.
Below Orion's belt is a fuzzy area known as the Great Nebula of Orion. In this nebula is a bright star cluster known as the
Trapezium, marked by
four bright stars near the image center. The newly born stars in the
Trapezium and
surrounding regions show the
Orion Nebula to be one of the most active areas of star formation to be found in our area of
the Galaxy.
In Orion, supernova explosions and close interactions between stars have created
rogue planets and stars that rapidly move through space. Some of these
fast stars have been found by
comparing different images of this region taken by the
Hubble Space Telescope many years apart. Many of the stars in the
featured image, taken in visible and near-infrared light, appear
unusually red because they are seen through
dust that scatters away much of their blue light.
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