Butterfly Nebula (IMAGE)
Caption
The Butterfly nebula, an example of a star forming region in the Tarantula nebula. The white scale bar is 2 light years or about 120,000 AU (Astronomical Units). A bright central star, obscured by dust, modifies the oxygen isotopes in the nebula by photodissociation of carbon monoxide. This is another example of an environment in which oxygen isotopes could be modified in the molecular cloud prior to formation of a planetary system.
Credit
ASA and ESA
Usage Restrictions
None
License
Licensed content