X-ray and Infrared Image of RCW 120 (IMAGE)

Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

X-ray and Infrared Image of RCW 120

Caption

RCW 120 is another star-forming region that was part of the new research. It is slightly farther away than the Lagoon Nebula at a distance of about 5,500 light years. This view of RCW 120, which has the same wavelengths and colors as the Lagoon composite, contains an expanding bubble of hydrogen gas, about 13 light years across. This structure may be sweeping up material into a dense shell and triggering the formation of stars.

Credit

X-ray: NASA/CXC/Penn State/K. Getman, et al; Infrared: NASA/JPL/Spitzer

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