|
|
|
The Iris Nebula |
|
|
|
Click here to enlarge photograph.
|
|
|
|
|
DESCRIPTION Like delicate cosmic petals, these clouds of interstellar dust and gas have blossomed 1,300 light-years away in the fertile star fields of the constellation Cepheus. Sometimes called the Iris Nebula and dutifully cataloged as NGC 7023, this is not the only nebula in the sky to evoke the imagery of flowers. Still, the beautiful digital image shows off the Iris Nebula's range of colors and symmetries in impressive detail. Within the Iris, dusty nebular material surrounds a massive, hot, young star in its formative years. Central filaments of cosmic dust glow with a reddish photoluminesence as some dust grains effectively convert the star's invisible ultraviolet radiation to visible red light. Yet the dominant color of the nebula is blue, characteristic of dust grains reflecting starlight. Dark, obscuring clouds of dust and cold molecular gas are also present and can lead the eye to see other convoluted and fantastic shapes. Source: APOD Constellation: Cepheus - Distance: n/a RA: 21h 01m 35.5s - DEC: +68d 10m 11s - Magnitude: 7.1 Central Star - Apparent Size: 20' x 20' |
|
| Date Taken: 6-02-05 Telescope: Celestron C11 Camera: SBIG ST10XME Mount: Astro-Physics AP900GTO Filter: Astrodon Luminance Guider: Self Guided
Color Data: |
L 30 X 300 sec @ 1x1 R: 8 x 600 sec 1x1 G: 6 x 600 sec 1x1 B: 10 x 600 sec 1x1 Luminance Aquired with CCDAutoPilot |
 |
