Close-up of the drama of star formation

This very detailed enhanced-colour image from ESO’s Very Large Telescope shows the dramatic effects of very young stars on the dust and gas from which they were born in the star-forming region NGC 6729. The baby stars are invisible in this picture, being hidden behind dust clouds at the upper left of the picture, but material they are ejecting is crashing into the surroundings at speeds of that can be as high as one million kilometres per hour. This picture was taken by the FORS1 instrument and records the scene in the light of glowing hydrogen and sulphur.

Credit:

ESO/Sergey Stepanenko

About the Image

Id:eso1109a
Type:Observation
Release date:16 March 2011, 12:00
Related releases:eso1109
Size:2139 x 2140 px

About the Object

Name:NGC 6729
Type:Milky Way : Nebula : Type : Star Formation
Distance:400 light years
Constellation:Corona Australis
Category:Nebulae
Stars

Mounted Image

Image Formats

Large JPEG
1.0 MB
Screensize JPEG
162.9 KB

Zoomable


Wallpapers

1024x768
149.5 KB
1280x1024
252.4 KB
1600x1200
396.1 KB
1920x1200
517.9 KB
2048x1536
735.9 KB

Coordinates

Position (RA):19 1 34.25
Position (Dec):-37° 0' 19.50"
Field of view:7.18 x 7.19 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 0.0° right of vertical

Colours & filters

BandTelescope
Optical
SII
Very Large Telescope
FORS1
Optical
H-alpha
Very Large Telescope
FORS1