File:The Starry Dandelion and the Cosmic Gecko NGC 6520 (gemini-20070806-ngc6520gem-clnflattrim).tiff

From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Original file ‎(3,755 × 2,024 pixels, file size: 111.62 MB, MIME type: image/tiff)

Captions

Captions

Millions of years ago, a dust cloud about 5,200 light-years from the Sun coalesced to begin the process of star birth. Today, some 190 million years later, NGC 6520 is ablaze with hot, massive young stars arrayed in a dandelion seed-shaped cluster.

Summary

[edit]
Description
English: Millions of years ago, a dust cloud about 5,200 light-years from the Sun coalesced to begin the process of star birth. Today, some 190 million years later, NGC 6520 is ablaze with hot, massive young stars arrayed in a dandelion seed-shaped cluster. Not far away lies the gecko-shaped remains of what may be their birth cloud, Barnard 86. This image, taken using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph on Gemini South, shows details in a 9.7- x 5.4-arcmin section of a larger, highly populated region in the Sagittarius star cloud. It provides the clearest optical view of the cluster and its nearby dark-cloud companion. The total mass of the stars in NGC 6520 is roughly equivalent to 300-400 times the mass of the Sun, while the nearby cloud contains enough material to make about 3,000 more stars like the Sun. The close proximity between the star cluster and its nearby dark-cloud companion suggests the two are related. A survey of the southern sky (released in 2001) that singled out hydrogen-alpha emissions from warm, ionized interstellar gas shows a nebula extending from the dark globule to embrace the star cluster. Caption: The star cluster NGC 6520 and the Bok Globule Barnard 86, as imaged by the Gemini South telescope, using GMOS. The image is 9.7 x 5.4 arcminutes and is rotated 17 degrees east of north. This color composite is made using the following four filters: u-band = blue; g-band = cyan; r-band = yellow; and i-band = red. The cluster, is about 200 million years old, and lies around 5,500 light-years away from the Sun, in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius. Amateur note: NGC 6520 and Barnard 86 are popular observation targets for moderate-to-large telescopes (8-14” apertures). Look for the cluster and its neighboring Bok globule are set against the starry background the Sagittarius star cloud, centering your telescope on RA 18H 03.3 m, DEC -27º 53’ for the cluster. Barnard 86 lies a few minutes to the west.
Date 6 August 2007 (upload date)
Source The Starry Dandelion and the Cosmic Gecko NGC 6520
Author International Gemini Observatory
Other versions
  • JPG version
    JPG version

Licensing

[edit]
This media was created by the National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab).
Their website states: "Unless specifically noted, the images, videos, and music distributed on the public NOIRLab website, along with the texts of press releases, announcements, images of the week and captions; are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, and may on a non-exclusive basis be reproduced without fee provided the credit is clear and visible."
To the uploader: You must provide a link (URL) to the original file and the authorship information if available.
w:en:Creative Commons
attribution
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
You are free:
  • to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work
  • to remix – to adapt the work
Under the following conditions:
  • attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

File history

Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time.

Date/TimeThumbnailDimensionsUserComment
current23:09, 23 October 2023Thumbnail for version as of 23:09, 23 October 20233,755 × 2,024 (111.62 MB)OptimusPrimeBot (talk | contribs)#Spacemedia - Upload of https://noirlab.edu/public/media/archives/images/original/gemini-20070806-ngc6520gem-clnflattrim.tif via Commons:Spacemedia

You cannot overwrite this file.

There are no pages that use this file.

File usage on other wikis

The following other wikis use this file:

Metadata

This file contains additional information such as Exif metadata which may have been added by the digital camera, scanner, or software program used to create or digitize it. If the file has been modified from its original state, some details such as the timestamp may not fully reflect those of the original file. The timestamp is only as accurate as the clock in the camera, and it may be completely wrong.

Retrieved from "https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:The_Starry_Dandelion_and_the_Cosmic_Gecko_NGC_6520_(gemini-20070806-ngc6520gem-clnflattrim).tiff&oldid=909332354"