NGC 7380

Click on image for larger version.

NGC 7380 is a typical starforming region in the direction of an outer spiral arm of our galaxy (around 7,000 light years distant). This field contains many young energetic stars that make the natal gas that surround them glow an intense pink/red. The majority of stars for this newly formed group are out of the field to the upper left. Their winds and radiation sculpt clouds of gas and dust into the mountainous ridges seen here. The darkest parts of this image are foreground clouds of dust thick enough to extinct the light beyond them. Also note the bright star (left of center) that is in a bluish bubble of gas. This may be a Wolf-Rayet star beginning to blow a bubble! Other famous examples of this action include The Bubble Nebula and Thor's Helmut.

Equipment

20in RC Optical Systems telescope operating at f/5.5
Paramount ME Robotic Telescope Mount
SBIG ST10XME CCD camera with color filter wheel

L R G B color production was used to create this image.

Luminance = 120 minutes (30 minutes Clear + 90 minutes Ha) binned 1x1
 Red = 15 minutes binned 2x2
 Green = 15 minutes binned 2x2
 Blue = 15 minutes binned 2x2

Minimum credit line: Kris Sandburg and Peter Jacobs/Adam Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF

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Updated: 09/10/2004