facebook pixel
FrEGGy Friday 👻 ✨⁣ ⁣ NASAHubble is getting into the spirit with this image. A small region of the nebula Westerhout 5, which lies about 7,000 light-years from Earth. Bathed in bright red light, this glistening scene in red hosts a variety of interesting features, including free floating Evaporating Gaseous Globule (frEGG), one of which is pictured in the upper center-left region of the image. ⁣ ⁣ FrEGGs are denser regions of gas that photoevaporate less than the dense gas surrounding them. Photoevaporation occurs when gas is ionized and dispersed away by an intense source of radiation – typically young, hot stars releasing huge amounts of ultraviolet (UV) light. FrEGGs opacity means that the gas within them is protected from ionization and photoevaporation – thought by astronomers to be important for the formation of protostars – making frEGGs possible hosts for the birth of new stars. ⁣ ⁣ Image description: The background is filled with bright orange-red clouds of varying density. To...

 605.2k

 1.4k

    Suggested Credits
    Tags, Events, and Projects