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Release

ESO 37/08 - Associated Image

21 October 2008
For Immediate Release

A claret-coloured cloud with a massive heart

Stellar Nursery Gum 29

ESO PR Photo 37/08
The Gum 29 nebula
[Preview - JPEG: 398 x 400 pix - 96k]
[Normal - JPEG: 795 x 800 pix - 344k]
[Full Res - JPEG: 8228 x 8277 pix - 16.82M]
[Full Res - TIFF: 8228 x 8277 pix - 117.38M]

This image, based on data obtained with the Wide Field Imager (WFI) camera attached to the 2.2-m Max-Planck/ESO telescope through four different filters (B, V, R, and H-alpha), shows the amazing intricacies of the vast stellar nursery Gum 29. At its centre lies the cluster of young stars Westerlund 2. One object at the bottom of the cluster is in fact a system of two of most massive stars known to astronomers.
Credit: ESO

Stellar Nursery Gum 29

ESO PR Photo 37/08
The Gum 29 nebula
[Preview - JPEG: 384 x 400 pix - 50k]
[Normal - JPEG: 767 x 800 pix - 151k]
[Full Res - JPEG: 1060 x 1105 pix - 374k]
[Full Res - TIFF: 1060 x 1105 pix - 1.95M]

Marked in the image is a double stellar system. The two stars have masses of 82 and 83 times that of our Sun and rotate around each other in approximately 3.7 days. They are amongst the most massive stars known to astronomers.
Credit: ESO