We live in a golden age of astronomy.
For the first time in our history, humanity
finally has the tools we need to uncover details
of the cosmos that have, until now, been hidden
from us.
As we look deep into the heavens with our
powerful space telescopes using special filters
that can record light our eyes cannot see,
treasures of beauty are unveiled that are
not only spectacular, but provide astronomers
with data vital in helping us understand how
our universe works.
Here is a stunning example of actual data
taken from the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes.
Hubble recorded the familiar Orion Nebula
in visible light while Spitzer saw it in infrared,
a wavelength we cannot see with our eyes.
Hubble observations show the familiar shape
of the nebula we are used to seeing in most
images taken of this gas cloud: a large stellar
nursery some 1,350 light years away and, in
visible light at least, is 24 light years
across.
And when we add Spitzer’s data, we something
more: a larger, extended region expanding
much further out.
By combining these two high resolution datasets,
for the first time, we can fly through them
to see what’s happening inside the nebula
at both wavelengths.
Removing Spitzer data uncovers the stars forming
underneath.
This is what Hubble sees, this is actual data.
No simulations.
This is the gas and dust from which new stars
are born.
Flying low over the clouds, an enormous cavity
light years across is created by new stars
and blown out by their stellar winds.
This cluster of stars is brand new and contains
some 700 stars in various stages of formation.
Around some of them, bright arcs - or bowshocks
- formed by the strong winds from the stars
sweeping out surrounding material can be seen.
Dark protoplanetary disks, or proplyds mark
our journey.
These are infant solar systems forging new
planets around adolescent stars.
Some 180 of these have been seen by Hubble.
The Orion Nebula can be seen by the naked
eye.
On a clear, dark night, just look up in the
sword of Orion and there it is.
While it’s been viewed by humans since ancient
times, it was first observed in a telescope
by Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peirsec on the
26th of November 1610 and Charles Messier
noted it on March 4, 1789 as the 42nd object
in his famous catalogue.
Since then, we’ve used every telescope imaginable
to peer into the depths and explore the mysteries
of this cosmic wonder.
And with these observations from Hubble and
Spitzer, we have a view our ancestors could
only come from the golden age of astronomy.
