Η λιμνοθάλασσα των άστρων, VST Zooms in on Lagoon Nebula

Η νέα εντυπωσιακή εικόνα της λιμνοθάλασσας των άστρων. This image, taken with the VLT Survey Telescope, shows the Lagoon Nebula. Image credit: ESO / VPHAS+ team.

Μια νέα εντυπωσιακή εικόνα από το Νεφέλωμα Λιμνοθάλασσας κατέγραψε το τηλεσκόπιο VLT στη Χιλή.

This chart shows the location of the star formation region Messier 8, also known as the Lagoon Nebula, within the constellation of Sagittarius (the Archer). This map shows most of the stars visible to the unaided eye under good conditions and Messier 8 itself is highlighted with a red circle on the image. This bright object is visible to the unaided eye as a small patch in the heart of the Milky Way and is an impressive sight in moderate-sized amateur telescopes. Credit: ESO, IAU and Sky & Telescope

Το νεφέλωμα με κωδική ονομασία Μ8 και NGC 6523 βρίσκεται σε απόσταση πέντε χιλιάδων ετών φωτός από εμάς στον αστερισμό του Τοξότη.

This new infrared view of the star formation region Messier 8, often called the Lagoon Nebula, was captured by the VISTA telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. This colour picture was created from images taken through J, H and Ks near-infrared filters, and which were acquired as part of a huge survey of the central parts of the Milky Way. The field of view is about 34 by 15 arcminutes. Credit:ESO/VVV. Acknowledgment: Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit

Το νεφέλωμα έχει διάμετρο 100 ετών φωτός και σε αυτό υπάρχουν κολοσσιαίες ποσότητες κοσμικής σκόνης δημιουργώντας έτσι ένα γιγάντιο εργοστάσιο παραγωγής νέων και μεγάλης λαμπρότητας άστρων.

This video sequence gives a close-up look at a richly detailed new image of the Lagoon Nebula captured by the VLT Survey Telescope at ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile. This giant cloud of gas and dust is creating intensely bright young stars, and is home to young stellar clusters. This image is a tiny part of just one of eleven public surveys of the sky now in progress using ESO telescopes. Together these are providing a vast legacy of publicly available data for the global astronomical community. Credit: ESO/VPHAS+ team