IC 4628：斑节虾星云
IC 4628: The Prawn Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Stern
Explanation: South of Antares, in the tail of the nebula-rich constellation Scorpius, lies emission nebula IC 4628. Nearby hot, massive stars, millions of years young, irradiate the nebula with invisible ultraviolet light, stripping electrons from atoms. The electrons eventually recombine with the atoms to produce the visible nebular glow, dominated by the red emission of hydrogen. At an estimated distance of 6,000 light-years, the region shown is about 250 light-years across, spanning over three full moons on the sky. The nebula is also cataloged as Gum 56 for Australian astronomer Colin Stanley Gum, but seafood-loving deep sky-enthusiasts might know this cosmic cloud as the Prawn Nebula. The graceful color image is a new astronomical composition taken over several nights in April from Rio Hurtado, Chile.
Tomorrow’s picture: galaxies in the river
IC 4628：斑节虾星云
影像提供与版权: Daniel Stern
说明: 在心宿二之南，于满布星云的天蝎座尾部，座落着发射星云IC 4628。而它附近年龄只有数百万年的年轻大质量恒星，以不可见的紫外辐射照射这团星云，把电子从原子中剥离出来，后来电子再与原子复合，产生了以氢红光为主的星云可见辉光。影像所呈现的这片天区之宽度，大约和3个满月相当，如以此星云6,000光年的距离来换算，相当于约250光年宽的区域。在澳洲天文学家甘姆所编录的星表里，这团星云的编录号为Gum 56，但酷爱海鲜的天文学家可能也知道，这团星云另有斑节虾星云的雅号。这张优美的彩色照片，是在今年4月耗费数个夜晚摄于智利里约乌尔塔的天文新组合影像。 （Prawn Nebula 斑节虾星云）
明日的图片: galaxies in the river
