Un pez Koi-smico
Esta imagen de la semana muestra la colorida nebulosa Gum 3 vista con el VLT Survey Telescope (VST), instalado en el Observatorio Paranal de ESO, en el desierto chileno de Atacama. Quienes se fijen en los detalles de esta imagen obtenida con el VST, podrán ver que parte de Gum 3 se asemeja a un pez Koi. Equipado con el instrumento OmegaCAM (una enorme cámara de 268 megapíxeles), el telescopio está diseñado para estudiar grandes áreas del cielo austral en luz visible y obtener impresionantes imágenes como esta.
Gum 3 es una nube interestelar de gas y polvo situada a unos 3600 años luz de distancia, entre las constelaciones de Monoceros y Canis Major. Lleva el nombre de Colin Stanley Gum, un astrónomo australiano que catalogó 84 nebulosas del cielo austral.
Cuando la intensa radiación ultravioleta de las estrellas jóvenes cercanas golpea los átomos de hidrógeno que hay en la nube, emiten luz visible en colores muy específicos que en la imagen vemos en tonos rojizos y rosados. Al mismo tiempo, pequeñas partículas de polvo presentes en el interior de la nube reflejan la luz de las estrellas, especialmente en colores azules, similares a los que hacen que el cielo se vea azul aquí en la Tierra. Este juego de colores hace que nebulosas como esta resulten espectaculares.
Esta imagen muestra no solo el color, sino también la ausencia del mismo. Miren de cerca el área que hay justo a la derecha de la parte más brillante de la nube (a la derecha del "pez Koi-smico" rosado). ¿No hay nada que les resulte extraño? No es que realmente haya menos estrellas en esa zona oscura; por el contrario, hay una gran masa de polvo que bloquea parte de la luz visible, ocultando las estrellas tanto al VST como a nosotros.
Enlace
Crédito:ESO/VPHAS+ team. Ack.: CASU
Sobre la imagen
Identificador: | potw2424a |
Idioma: | es-cl |
Tipo: | Observación |
Fecha de publicación: | 10 de Junio de 2024 a las 06:00 |
Tamaño: | 6898 x 6898 px |
Sobre el objeto
Nombre: | Gum 3 |
Tipo: | Milky Way : Nebula : Appearance : Emission Early Universe : Nebula : Appearance : Reflection |
Distancia: | 3500 años luz |
Formatos de imagen
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