Astronomers examined NGC 6530 utilizing Hubbles Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2). In particular, Hubble was crucial to investigations of the proplyds around newly born stars in the Orion Nebula. The new NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescopes unmatched observational abilities at infrared wavelengths will complement Hubble observations by allowing astronomers to peer through the dusty envelopes around newly born stars and investigate the faintest, earliest phases of starbirth.
Hubble Space Telescope picture of open cluster NGC 6530. Credit: ESA/Hubble & & NASA, ESO, O. De Marco, Acknowledgment: M. H. Özsaraç
This image from the Hubble Space Telescope includes a part of the open cluster NGC 6530 that appears as a roiling wall of smoke studded with stars. It is the nebula that offers this image its clearly smokey appearance; clouds of interstellar gas and dust stretch from one side of this image to the other.
Astronomers investigated NGC 6530 utilizing Hubbles Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2). They scoured the area in the hope of finding brand-new examples of proplyds, a specific class of illuminated protoplanetary discs surrounding newborn stars. The large bulk of proplyds have been discovered in just one region, the close-by Orion Nebula. This makes understanding their origin and life times in other huge environments challenging.
Hubble Space Telescope image of the Lagoon Nebula. Credit: NASA, ESA, and STScI
Hubbles capability to observe at infrared wavelengths– particularly with Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3)– has made it an indispensable tool for understanding starbirth and the origin of exoplanetary systems. In specific, Hubble was essential to investigations of the proplyds around recently born stars in the Orion Nebula. The new NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescopes unprecedented observational capabilities at infrared wavelengths will complement Hubble observations by enabling astronomers to peer through the dirty envelopes around recently born stars and examine the faintest, earliest phases of starbirth.
By ESA/Hubble
December 12, 2022
