James Webb Space Telescope snaps mesmerising view of Orion Nebula- magical home to star birth | Tech News

James Webb Space Telescope snaps mesmerising view of Orion Nebula- magical home to star birth

Nasa James Webb Space telescope has captured a never before seen image of the Orion Nebula.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Sep 15 2022, 13:59 IST
NASA: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter makes astonishing discovery
Orion Nebula
1/6 The lunar pits found by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have mild temperatures, drastically different from the extreme conditions on the surface of the Moon. The temperatures in these caves are nearly 17 degree Celsius almost at all times. (NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University)
Orion Nebula
2/6 NASA Moon recently tweeted, "Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter images of pits indicate that the Moon has caves. Could they become astronaut habitats? Scientists have discovered that parts of the pits are always about 63°F (17°C), differing from extreme temperatures at the Moon's surface". (NASA)
Orion Nebula
3/6 The surface temperatures on the Moon can go from an extremely high 127 degrees Celsius and as low as -173 degrees Celsius. "The pits, and caves to which they may lead, would make thermally stable sites for lunar exploration compared to areas at the Moon's surface, which heat up to 260 F (about 127 C) during the day and cool to minus 280 F (about minus 173 C) at night,” NASA Moon tweeted further. (NASA)
Orion Nebula
4/6 First discovered in 2009, these lunar pits could potentially be used as location for a first Moon Base. Not only are the temperatures moderate, but these pits could also provide protection against cosmic rays, solar radiation and micrometeorites, according to NASA. (AP)
Orion Nebula
5/6 LRO Project Scientist Noah Petro of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center said, “Lunar pits are a fascinating feature on the lunar surface. Knowing that they create a stable thermal environment helps us paint a picture of these unique lunar features and the prospect of one day exploring them.” (NASA)
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6/6 The particular pit used to analyze the thermal properties by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was in an area of the Moon known as the Mare Tranquillitatis. It is 100-meters deep and as wide as a football field. According to scientists, the overhang of the pit is responsible for creating shadows on the Moon and maintaining a temperature of nearly 17 degrees Celsius at all times. (NASA)
Orion Nebula
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The mesmerising view of Orion Nebula captured by James Webb Space telescope! (AFP)

The tech marvel that it is, the James Webb Space telescope has yet again left people astonished with a stunning view of the vibrant Orion Nebula. The telescope has captured Orion's heart by using the NIRCam instrument giving us an even more detailed look at the nebula's heart. The detailed image of the stellar nursery blasted by ultraviolet light from massive young stars shows the heating of intense radiation and star formation. This ultraviolet irradiated zone, known as a photodissociation region (PDR)  is located within the constellation Orion and is about 1,350 light-years away from Earth.

This area of the nebula  is a dense cloud of cold gas - a magical home to intense star birth. It  appears like a single star when viewed with the naked eye, but it becomes clear when viewing it via a telescope- especially the James Webb Telescope.

As shared by Nasa, the Orion Nebula is brimming with intense ultraviolet radiation from bright young stars. To produce this detailed image, PDRs4All team astronomers explored this region by using the second-generation Near-Infrared Camera (NIRC2) along with the Keck II telescope's adaptive optics system. Both instruments are located at the W. M. Keck Observatory on the Maunakea volcano on the island of Hawaii.

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What is Orion Nebula?

The Orion Nebula is a dynamic region of dust and gas where thousands of stars form. It is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth and hence, it is being frequently targeted for building and understanding the circumstances of the birth of our solar system.

"These regions are important because they allow us to understand how young stars influence the gas and dust cloud they are born in, particularly sites where stars like the sun, form," said Paris-Saclay University astrophysicist Emilie Habart in a statement. He added that observing photodissociation regions is like looking into the past.

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First Published Date: 15 Sep, 13:59 IST
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