A team of astronomers and animation specialists from NASA’s “Universe of Learning” program, the Baltimore Space Telescope Science Institute, and the Caltech Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) in Pasadena, California, have created, thank you To images from the Hubble and Spitzer telescopes, a spectacular view in three dimensions and in high definition of the beautiful Orion Nebula using visible and infrared light.
The Orion Nebula , also known as Messier 42 or simply M42, is 1,344 light years distant from Earth and is located south of the Orion belt. It is an incredibly bright nebula that we can see with the naked eye against the night sky.
As a curiosity, this nebula discovered by Nicholas Peiresc in 1610 had previously been classified as a star – Theta Orionis – due to its great brightness.
During these three minutes, the sequence compares us first in two-dimensional images and then in three-dimensional models this wonder of the sky. Infrared observations generally show us a cooler gas temperature in a deeper part of the nebula, as well as many faint stars that shine mainly at longer wavelengths.
It is clear that we contemplate a surprising and fascinating new way of seeing and learning about our cosmos.
This video is available in both planetariums and other non-learning centers around the globe, with the intention of revealing new material to those interested in astronomy.
