‘Ghost
92. Head
Nebula’
The ‘Ghost Head Nebula’ is one of a chain
of star-forming regions lying south of the 30
Doradus nebula in the Large Magellanic
Cloud. Two bright regions (the ‘eyes of the
ghost’), named A1 (left) and A2 (right), are
very hot, glowing ‘blobs’ of hydrogen and
oxygen.
The bubble in A1 is produced by the hot,
intense radiation and powerful stellar wind
from a single massive star. A2 has a more
complex appearance due to the presence
of more dust, and it contains several hidden,
massive stars.
The massive stars in A1 and A2 must have
formed within the last 10 000 years since their
natal gas shrouds are not yet disrupted by the
powerful radiation of the newly born stars.
Credit: ESA, NASA, & Mohammad HeydariMalayeri (Observatoire de Paris,
France)
Best
93.Earth-based
view of Mars ever
Frosty white water ice clouds and swirling orange dust storms above a
vivid rusty landscape reveal Mars as a dynamic planet in this sharpest
view ever obtained by an Earth-based telescope.
The Earth-orbiting Hubble telescope snapped this picture on June 26,
when Mars was approximately 43 million miles (68 million km) from Earth its closest approach to our planet since 1988. Hubble can see details as
small as 10 miles (16 km) across.
Especially striking is the large amount of seasonal dust storm activity seen
in this image. One large storm system is churning high above the northern
polar cap [top of image], and a smaller dust storm cloud can be seen
nearby. Another large duststorm is spilling out of the giant Hellas impact
basin in the Southern Hemisphere [lower right].
Credit: NASA/ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team STScI/AURA)