The Light and Dark Face of a Star-Forming Nebula
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - 10:07
in Astronomy & Space
(PhysOrg.com) -- Today, ESO is unveiling an image of the little known Gum 19, a faint nebula that, in the infrared, appears dark on one half and bright on the other. On one side hot hydrogen gas is illuminated by a supergiant blue star called V391 Velorum. New star formation is taking place within the ribbon of luminous and dark material that brackets V391 Velorum`s left in this perspective. After many millennia, these fledgling stars, coupled with the explosive demise of V391 Velorum as a supernova, will likely alter Gum 19`s present Janus-like appearance.