NGC 6188 and NGC 6164
From NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
From NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
Fantastic shapes lurk
in clouds of glowing hydrogen gas in NGC 6188, about 4,000 light-years away.
The emission
nebula is found near the edge of a large molecular cloud unseen at
visible wavelengths, in the southern constellation Ara.
Massive, young stars of the embedded Ara OB1
association were formed in that region only a few million years ago, sculpting the dark
shapes and powering the nebular glow with stellar winds and intense ultraviolet
radiation.
The recent star formation itself
was likely triggered by winds and supernova explosions, from previous
generations of massive stars, that swept up and compressed the molecular gas.
Joining NGC 6188 on this cosmic canvas is
rare emission nebula NGC
6164, also created by one of the region's massive O-type stars. Similar in
appearance to many planetary
nebulae, NGC 6164's striking, symmetric gaseous shroud and faint halo
surround its bright central star at the lower right.
The field of view spans
about two full Moons, corresponding to 70 light years at the estimated distance of NGC 6188.
Image Credit & Copyright: Kfir
Simon