gum 39 is one of several nebulae in a vast stellar nursery called the Running Chicken Nebula (IC 2944), located about 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Centaurus.
This image of Gum 39 is actually only a small part of it. 1.5 billion pixel image Running Chicken Nebula.
The data of this huge image is ESO's VLT Survey Telescope (VST).
“It forms a crest on the head of a running chicken — because, at least according to some, everyone seems to be looking at a different chicken,” ESO astronomers said in a statement.
“But for now, let's zoom in on Gum 39, as this nebula is officially called.”
“In the sky, it can be found in the constellation Centaurus, about 6,500 light-years from Earth.”
“Around Gum 39, orange, white and blue stars dot the sky like fireworks.”
“The pink light you see is a spray of hydrogen gas illuminated by intense radiation from a newborn star.”
“The nebula is also crossed by a dark band of cosmic dust that blocks the light behind it.”
“Such nebulae are also called stellar nurseries, because when dense clouds of molecular gas collapse under the force of gravity, many new stars are born.”
“Using telescopes such as VST and the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA), scientists can observe these nebulae to better understand the complex processes of how stars are born. ”
Source: www.sci.news
