Dust Structures within 500 Light-Years of the Sun (IMAGE)

European Space Agency

Dust Structures within 500 Light-Years of the Sun

Caption

The image spans about 50° of the sky. It is a three-color combination constructed from Planck's two highest frequency channels (557 and 857 GHz, corresponding to wavelengths of 540 and 350 micrometers), and an image at the shorter wavelength of 100 micrometers made by the IRAS satellite. This combination visualises dust temperature very effectively: red corresponds to temperatures as cold as 10° above absolute zero, and white to those of a few tens of degrees. Overall, the image shows local dust structures within 500 light-years of the sun.

Credit

ESA and the HFI Consortium, IRAS

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