April 26, 2024

A New Image Reveals Orion’s Flame Nebula in Infrared

The ESO has launched some spectacular new images of Orions Flame Nebula. Theyre from a few years ago however are freshly processed as part of the Orion cloud complex study. The images have caused discoveries in the often-observed Orion cloud complex.

Due to the fact that they always see something brand-new, astronomers love to look at popular objects with brand-new telescopes. When astronomers utilized the brand-new SuperCam instrument installed on the ESOs Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX.), thats what occurred Astronomers developed the instrument to examine molecular clouds and the star-forming regions in the Orion molecular cloud complex, to name a few targets.
The image belongs to the APEX Large CO Heterodyne Orion Legacy Survey (ALCOHOLS). Though the image is from a couple of years back, it was just recently processed and included as part of a newly-published paper.
The papers title is “The APEX Large CO Heterodyne Orion Legacy Survey (ALCOHOLS). I. Survey summary,” The lead author is Thomas Stanke. The paper is because of be released in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
The Orion cloud complex is hundreds of light-years across and between 1300 and 1600 light-years away. It contains young, newly-born stars with protoplanetary disks, emission nebulae and reflection nebulae, dark nebulae, and other features.
As part of their observations, the group behind this work observed the Flame Nebula and other structures in its environments. They got excellent looks at the reflection nebulae Messier 78 and NGC 2071, lit up by neighboring stars and other items like expanding bubbles.
This image reveals the Flame Nebula and its surroundings recorded in radio waves. The image is based on observations performed with the SuperCam instrument on the ESO-operated Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) on Chiles Chajnantor Plateau. The Flame Nebula is the popular function left wing. The minor function on the right is the reflection nebula NGC 2023. To the leading right of NGC 2023, the iconic Horsehead Nebula seems to emerge heroically from the “flames.” The 3 things become part of the Orion cloud, a huge gas structure located in between 1300 and 1600 light-years away. The different colours indicate the velocity of the gas. The Flame Nebula and its environments are moving far from us, with the red clouds in the background receding faster than the yellow ones in the foreground.
In a news release revealing the study and the new images, lead author Thomas Stanke stated, “As astronomers like to say, whenever there is a brand-new telescope or instrument around, observe Orion: there will always be something interesting and brand-new to find!”
One of their discoveries is a little, round cloud that theyre calling the Cow Nebula Globule. It appears cometary in structure in optical light, its in fact a round, potentially round cloud of gas. Its likewise starless.
The group discovered the starless function that they called the Cow Nebula Globule. Its a round, starless cloud of gas in the Orion Molecular Cloud. Image Credit: Stanke et al 2021.
The Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) is a highlight in these brand-new images. Its about 900 to 1500 light-years away, and Alnitak, the triple-star system at the eastern end of Orions Belt, lights it up.
This image orient the viewer to the Flame Nebulas position in Orion. Visible are the Flame Nebula and the Horsehead Nebula.
Flame is an emission nebula, which suggests that the gases are ionized by ultraviolet energy from Alnitak and discharge light at various wavelengths. Like the Orion cloud complex of clouds that its a part of, the Flame Nebula is an active star-forming area. A cluster of young stars lies in the Flame Nebulas center, lots of with protoplanetary disks. Maybe unfortunately, numerous of those disks might never have the chance to form worlds. Hubble Telescope observations in 2021 show that the nearby young stars are eroding numerous of these disks with their intense radiation.

This image reveals the Flame Nebula region as seen with APEX and the DSS2. Peak captured the image in the rectangle while the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2) provided the background. Image Credit: ESO/Th. Stanke & & ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2. Recognition: Davide De Martin
This spectacular visible light wide-field view of part of the famous belt of the excellent celestial hunter Orion reveals the region of the sky around the Flame Nebula. This image is not part of the new study but reveals the Flame Nebula in a different context. The image also shows the Horsehead Nebula.
The Orion Complex is an intricately detailed area of space full of stars and gas and all the interplay between the 2. Its the nearby high-mass star birth area full of young stars and protostars, all fully identified by numerous surveys, observations, and research studies.
However for now, we can enjoy the images.
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The ESO has actually launched some sensational new images of Orions Flame Nebula. It includes young, newly-born stars with protoplanetary disks, emission nebulae and reflection nebulae, dark nebulae, and other functions. Noticeable are the Flame Nebula and the Horsehead Nebula. Like the Orion cloud complex of clouds that its a part of, the Flame Nebula is an active star-forming region. The image likewise reveals the Horsehead Nebula.

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