Stars hatch in Orion
The image captured by Spitzer
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Friday, 18, May 2007 12:58
Baby stars 'hatching' in the head of Orion, the hunter constellation visible from northern hemispheres during winter nights, have been spotted by scientists.
Astronomers believe the star birth is the result of shockwaves from a three million-year-old explosion of a massive star.
Captured by the Spitzer telescope, the image shows an area 1,300 light years away which sits just north of the massive star Lambda Orionis.
Spanish astronomer David Barrado y Navascues, who led the Spitzer observations, said that thanks to the image, "we now know that there is a large population of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs [or failed stars]".
"When we decided to study this region, it was barely known, despite the fact that its properties made it a nice target. Our aim was to carry out a comprehensive study of the region's different properties," he added.
Tints of orange and red seen in the image on the right are dust particles warmed by the newly forming stars while the pink dots at the top of the cloud are very young stars covered in cosmic gas and dust.
Blue spots of light throughout the image are stars in our galaxy, known as the Milky Way.