The photo highlighted by NASA this Monday (17) shows the Lula Nebula, a cosmic cloud with a bluish glow coming from ionized oxygen atoms
The Sh2-129 nebula shines in the photo taken by Alex Linde, which is the centerpiece of the NASA on the website Astronomical picture of the day this Monday (17). Nebulae are known for their unusual shapes that often resemble familiar figures – and this one, popularly known as the Giant Squid Nebula, is no different.
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Discovered in 2011 by the Frenchman Nicolas Outters, this nebula is located about 2,300 light years from us in the direction of the constellation Cepheus, Cepheus.
This “cosmic squid” is a nebula with a bipolar structure in shades of blue, formed by the emissions of oxygen atoms ionized. It was photographed near the Sh2-129 region, with a reddish glow due to ionized hydrogen.
Its structure is made up of material expelled from three hot and massive stars: to find them, look for them in the region near the center of the nebula.
Much of the apparent closeness between the two is due to our viewing perspective, which has made it difficult for astronomers to determine the distance and even characteristics of the Lula Nebula.
Even so, a study published in 2014 indicates that Ou4 is indeed located within the Sh2-129 region. If so, then it must be about 2,300 light-years from Earth, extending over 50 light-years.
What is a nebula?
Nebulae like Ou4 are large clouds of gas and dust found in space. Some of them are formed after the explosion of massive stars supernovaewhile others are regions where new stars are born.
Their structure is usually made up mainly of hydrogen and helium. These gases are usually quite dispersed, but sometimes gravity can start to clump them together into pocket-like structures; If enough matter accumulates, these structures collapse in on themselves, forming new stars.
Although the Giant Squid Nebula is located a few thousand light-years from Earth, there are others much closer to our planet. This is the case of Helix Nebulafound just 700 light years from us.
Source: APOD
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Source: Terra
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