APOD: The Eagle Nebula with X-ray Hot Stars (2023 Jul 25)

[APOD Robot]

The Eagle Nebula with X-ray Hot Stars

Explanation: What do the famous Eagle Nebula star pillars look like in X-ray light? To find out, NASA's orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory peered in and through these interstellar mountains of star formation. It was found that in M16 the dust pillars themselves do not emit many X-rays, but a lot of small-but-bright X-ray sources became evident. These sources are shown as bright dots on the featured image which is a composite of exposures from Chandra (X-rays), XMM (X-rays), JWST (infrared), Spitzer (infrared), Hubble (visible), and the VLT (visible). What stars produce these X-rays remains a topic of research, but some are hypothesized to be hot, recently-formed, low-mass stars, while others are thought to be hot, older, high-mass stars. These X-ray hot stars are scattered around the frame -- the previously identified Evaporating Gaseous Globules (EGGS) seen in visible light are not currently hot enough to emit X-rays.

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[raindcon]

Be still my heart!!! There are many, many, MANY beautiful and amazing images that have been made available for viewing with more coming all the time. While I oohhh and ahhhh over most of them, my heart belongs to the Eagle Nebula.

I first saw The Pillars of Creation on an ABC news program on Hubble. It was stunning! Years later I came across a picture of the Fairy which I also fell in love with. It was many years later before I discovered both were a part of the Eagle Nebula. Now that I know multiple professional astronomers I have been gifted with many various issues of the Eagle, the Fairy & the Pillars, individually and together and from many different cameras. It never ceases to make me catch my breath to see any of them. Nor has this one.

The Pillars are still stunning and I never tire of seeing them. Thank you for showing them again.

[Ann]

The Eagle Nebula with X-ray Hot Stars. Image Credit: X-ray: Chandra: NASA/CXC/SAO, XMM: ESA/XMM-Newton; IR: JWST: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI, Spitzer: NASA/JPL/CalTech; Visible: Hubble: NASA/ESA/STScI, ESO; Image Processing: L. Frattare, J. Major, N. Wolk, and K. Arcand

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The Eagle Nebula without X-ray Hot Stars. Image Credit: X-ray: Chandra: NASA/CXC/SAO, XMM: ESA/XMM-Newton; IR: JWST: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI, Spitzer: NASA/JPL/CalTech; Visible: Hubble: NASA/ESA/STScI, ESO; Image Processing: L. Frattare, J. Major, N. Wolk, and K. Arcand

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I assume that the purple dots are "X-rays only", whereas the pink sources glow in both X-rays and infrared light.

We do expect optically faint X-ray sources in regions of star formation to be (typically low-mass) newborn stars, or even protostars. But newborn stars are born in fairly tight groups. That's why I'm surprised at the scatter of the X-ray sources in today's APOD.

This is what star formation more typically looks like:

Young stars in X-rays and infrared in the Flame Nebula. Note the central cluster. X-ray: NASA/CXC/PSU/K.Getman, E.Feigelson, M.Kuhn & the MYStIX team; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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Star formation in infrared in NGC 2264 in Monoceros. The very young stars are seen in pink. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/P.S. Teixeira (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)

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The Orion Nebula and M43 in infrared. Note the long line of star formation at center left. Credit: ESO/H. Drass et al.

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Ann

[alex555]

It's curious some spots do not correspond to any visible star

Alex

[MelvzLuster]

Great & marvelous are all your works!

[AVAO]

...I assume that the purple dots are "X-rays only", whereas the pink sources glow in both X-rays and infrared light...

We do expect optically faint X-ray sources in regions of star formation to be (typically low-mass) newborn stars, or even protostars. But newborn stars are born in fairly tight groups. That's why I'm surprised at the scatter of the X-ray sources in today's APOD.
...

Ann

ThanX Ann

If I understand that correctly, all points represent x-ray sources. The colors of the dots only distinguish different intensities in the X-ray spectrum.
https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2023/ ... /more.html

I think the strong scattering of the sources can be explained by considering a broader field of view. The center of the Star Birth lies slightly above the Pillars of Creation in the center of the Nebula. The pillars of creation are only the last remnants of mist on the edge of the original star birth factory


Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/INAF/M.Guarcello et al.; Optical: NASA/STScI

[Ann]

...I assume that the purple dots are "X-rays only", whereas the pink sources glow in both X-rays and infrared light...

We do expect optically faint X-ray sources in regions of star formation to be (typically low-mass) newborn stars, or even protostars. But newborn stars are born in fairly tight groups. That's why I'm surprised at the scatter of the X-ray sources in today's APOD.
...

Ann

ThanX Ann

If I understand that correctly, all points represent x-ray sources. The colors of the dots only distinguish different intensities in the X-ray spectrum.
https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2023/ ... /more.html

I think the strong scattering of the sources can be explained by considering a broader field of view. The center of the Star Birth lies slightly above the Pillars of Creation in the center of the Nebula. The pillars of creation are only the last remnants of mist on the edge of the original star birth factory


Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/INAF/M.Guarcello et al.; Optical: NASA/STScI

Very good point, AVAO!

Ann

[johnnydeep]

Great & marvelous are all your works!

The indefatigable (except for repeats on Sundays) editors of APOD, along with the many dedicated astrophotographers creating all the stunning images surely do appreciate your praise.

[orin stepanek]

Be still my heart!!! There are many, many, MANY beautiful and amazing images that have been made available for viewing with more coming all the time. While I oohhh and ahhhh over most of them, my heart belongs to the Eagle Nebula.

I first saw The Pillars of Creation on an ABC news program on Hubble. It was stunning! Years later I came across a picture of the Fairy which I also fell in love with. It was many years later before I discovered both were a part of the Eagle Nebula. Now that I know multiple professional astronomers I have been gifted with many various issues of the Eagle, the Fairy & the Pillars, individually and together and from many different cameras. It never ceases to make me catch my breath to see any of them. Nor has this one.

The Pillars are still stunning and I never tire of seeing them. Thank you for showing them again.

This photo of the Eagle is very stunning and then some! On a scale
of 10; I give it a 10+