New Delhi, April 21 (IANS). US space agency NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has released a fascinating new photo of the Trifid Nebula, a star-forming region. This picture has surfaced on the occasion of the 36th anniversary of Hubble’s launch (April 24). Located about 5 thousand light years away from the Earth, this nebula offers an amazing view of the formation of stars and the shaping of gas and dust.
This new picture is not only attractive to look at, but it also plays an important role in understanding the complex processes taking place in the universe. This mission of Hubble is continuously giving new information to scientists and helping in solving the unsolved mysteries of space.
According to scientists, the powerful stars in this nebula affect the gas and dust present around them. Their strong winds and energy push these clouds, leading to the formation of new stars. This image taken by Hubble shows this entire process in detail, helping astronomers understand how star formation evolves over time.
A unique scene is visible in this picture, which scientists describe as ‘cosmic sea lemon’. This structure is made of clouds of gas and dust, which looks like a sea creature. Many young stars are forming within it, some of which are releasing energy around them in the form of jets. These jets come out as streams of plasma and affect the surrounding atmosphere.
Hubble had earlier also observed this nebula in the year 1997. Now after almost three decades, scientists have got the opportunity to compare by taking photographs of the same area again. This shows what changes have taken place in this area over such a long period of time. With the help of new technology and advanced cameras, a more clear and detailed picture has emerged this time.
Different colors in the picture also give important information. The blue areas are relatively clean, where ultraviolet light from larger stars has ionized the gas. The dark gray and black areas represent dense dust where stars are still forming and which are not visible in normal light.
There are many protostars i.e. newborn stars present in this nebula, which are not yet fully developed. In some places, jets and streams of gas indicate that these stars are releasing energy around them. This allows scientists to understand how new stars interact with their environment.
A part of the photo appears almost dark due to dense dust. Scientists believe that some of the stars visible here are not actually part of this nebula, but may exist relatively close to Earth. At the same time, there are some bright orange colored stars which have fully evolved and have cleared the dust around them.
Scientists say that in the coming millions of years, the gas and dust of this nebula will gradually disappear and only stars will be left here. Such observations have been possible due to the longevity and advanced technology of the Hubble Telescope.
–IANS
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