Hubble image archive
Westerlund 2: Detail 2
Westerlund 2 is surrounded by the star-forming region Gum 29. The heaviest cluster stars are unleashing a torrent of ultraviolet radiation and hurricane-force winds streaming with charged particles, etching away the enveloping hydrogen gas cloud from where the cluster formed. The...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2015
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2015-12-3524-image
Westerlund 2 is surrounded by the star-forming region Gum 29. The heaviest cluster stars are unleashing a torrent of ultraviolet radiation and hurricane-force winds streaming with charged particles, etching away the enveloping hydrogen gas cloud from where the cluster formed. The nebula reveals a fantasy landscape of pillars, ridges, valleys, and reddish-brown filaments of dense gas and dust. The brightest stars in the image are Milky Way foreground stars not associated with Westerlund 2.
Credits
NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), A. Nota (ESA/STScI), and the Westerlund 2 Science TeamImage Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Westerlund 2, Gum 29 |
| Object Description | Cluster and Starforming Region |
| R.A. Position | 10h 23m 58.1s |
| Dec. Position | -57° 45' 48.96" |
| Constellation | Carina |
| Distance | 20,000 light-years (6,130 parsecs) |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | Data of Westerlund 2 were obtained from the HST proposals : A. Nota (ESA/STScI), E. Sabbi and C. Christian (STScI), E. Grebel and P. Zeidler (Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg), M. Tosi (INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna), A. Bonanos (National Observatory of Athens, Astronomical Institute), and S. de Mink (University of Amsterdam); and : Z. Levay, M. Mutchler, J. Mack, L. Frattare, S. Meyett, M. Livio, and C. Christian (STScI/AURA), K. Noll (NASA/GSFC), A. Nota (STScI/ESA), and E. Sabbi (STScI). |
| Instrument | HST>ACS/WFC and HST>WFC3/IR |
| Exposure Dates | September 2013 - November 2014, Total Exposure Time: 23,074 seconds |
| Filters | ACS/WFC: F555W (V) and F814W (I) WFC3/IR: F125W (J) |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | These images are composites of separate exposures acquired by the ACS and the WFC3 instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample broad and narrow wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F555W (V) Green: F555W (V) and F814W (I) Red: F814W (I) |
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