Astronomers using ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope have captured a stunning image of a large nebula that strikingly resembles the silhouette of a bat.
This VST image reveals a gaseous cloud formed like a space bat. The vibrant red glow is produced by hydrogen atoms energized by the powerful radiation from young stars within the cloud. Notable features include RCW 94, which makes up the right wing, and RCW 95, which forms the body, though the remaining bat elements lack official designations. Image credit: ESO / VPHAS+ Team / VVV Team.
“Located about 10,000 light-years away, this ‘space bat’ navigates between the southern constellations Circinus and Norma,” ESO astronomers stated.
“It spans an area of the sky equivalent to four full moons, seemingly foraging in the illuminated spots above.”
“This nebula acts as a stellar nursery, a vast area of gas and dust where new stars are born.”
“The young stars emit sufficient energy to excite surrounding hydrogen atoms, causing them to produce the striking red hue evident in this captivating image.”
“The dark filaments of the nebula resemble the skeletal structure of our space bat.”
“These formations accumulate cooler, denser gas compared to their surroundings, with dust particles obstructing visible light from the stars behind.”
“Named for its extensive catalog of bright star-forming regions in the southern sky, the most prominent clouds are RCW94, representing the right side of the bat, and RCW95, forming the body; however, the other parts of the bat remain unnamed.”
This remarkable image was captured by ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope (VST) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert.
“VST is ideally suited for capturing these large, eerie entities,” astronomers remarked.
“It features OmegaCAM, a cutting-edge 268-megapixel camera, enabling VST to photograph vast sections of the sky.”
“The image is a composite made from observations through various filters that capture different colors and wavelengths of light.”
“Most bat shapes, including the vivid red glow, were recorded in visible light as part of the VST Photometric Hα Survey of the South Galactic Plane and Bulge (VPHAS+).”
“Additional infrared data enhance the coloration of the densest regions within the nebula, obtained with ESO’s Visible Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) as part of the VISTA Variable of the Vía Láctea (VVV) survey.”
“Both surveys are accessible to anyone eager to delve into this limitless expanse of astrophotography.”
Source: www.sci.news
