NASA has captured images of the famous horse-shaped nebula in unprecedented detail

he James Webb Space Telescope Subordinate a pot The clearest infrared images to date have been captured of an enlarged section of Horsehead Nebularevealing unprecedented details of this famous celestial body.

NASA describes nebula Like a giant cloud of dust and gas in space. Some nebulae come from gas and dust emitted by the explosion of a dying star, such as a supernova. Other nebulae are regions where new stars begin to form.

The observations were focused on the upper part of the nebula's “mane”, It revealed the complexity of this region with unprecedented spatial resolutionAccording to the study published on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Astronomy and astrophysics.

the Horsehead Nebulaalso known as Bernard 33located about 1,300 light-years away in the constellation Orionwithin the dense region known as the molecular cloud Orion b.

According to information from the US Space Agency, this nebula formed from a collapsed interstellar cloud illuminated by a hot star nearby. Although the surrounding gas clouds Horsehead Nebula It has already dissipated, and the protruding column is made of thick blocks of material, making it more resistant to corrosion. Astronomers estimate that the nebula is about… Five million years before it also disintegrates.

the Horsehead Nebula he Photodissociation region (PDR)Ultraviolet radiation from young, massive stars creates a warm, mostly neutral zone of gas and dust between the fully ionized gas surrounding the massive stars and the clouds in which they were born.

Tools Merry And nercam From the telescope James Webb Revealed in detail the small structures of the illuminated beach From the nebula. According to scientists, when UV light vaporizes a dust cloud, the dust particles are pulled away from the cloud, and carried away by the hot gas.

This phenomenon has allowed astronomers to investigate how dust blocks and emits light, providing a deeper understanding of the nebula's multi-dimensional shape.

Studying this data is crucial to understanding how radiation interacts with interstellar matter.. Due to its proximity and near-edge geometry, the Horsehead Nebula It provides an ideal target for analyzing physical structures Popular democracy The molecular evolution of gas and dust within their environments, as well as the transition areas between them. It is considered one of the best areas of the sky to study these interactions.

Soon, astronomers will focus on analyzing the spectroscopic data collected Obtain information about the evolution of physical and chemical properties Of the materials observed through the nebula.

fact that Web Discover a network of tiny landmarks that track the movement of hot dust and gas, opening new horizons in understanding the early universe and the crucial role ultraviolet radiation plays in star formation.

Light emitted from Popular democracy It offers a unique tool for studying the physical and chemical processes that drive the evolution of interstellar matter in our Galaxy and throughout the Universe, from the early era of robust star formation to the present.