Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                 2024 July 2
   [2]A star cluster is shown in and around a gas cloud that looks like an
    oyster. The rollover image shows the same cluster not only in visible
   light, but X-ray and infrared too. Please see the explanation for more
                            detailed information.

                        NGC 602: Oyster Star Cluster
    Image Credit: X-ray: Chandra: NASA/CXC/Univ.Potsdam/L.Oskinova et al;
      Optical: Hubble: NASA/STScI; Infrared: Spitzer: NASA/JPL-Caltech

   Explanation: The clouds may look like an oyster, and the stars like
   pearls, but look beyond. Near the outskirts of the [3]Small Magellanic
   Cloud, a satellite galaxy some 200 thousand light-years distant, lies
   this 5 million year [4]old star cluster [5]NGC 602. Surrounded by its
   birth shell of gas and dust, star cluster [6]NGC 602 is featured in
   this [7]stunning Hubble image, augmented in a rollover by images in the
   [8]X-ray by the [9]Chandra Observatory and in the [10]infrared by
   [11]Spitzer Telescope. [12]Fantastic ridges and swept back gas strongly
   suggest that [13]energetic radiation and [14]shock waves from [15]NGC
   602's massive young stars have eroded the [16]dusty material and
   triggered a progression of [17]star formation moving away from the star
   cluster's center. At the estimated distance of the [18]Small Magellanic
   Cloud, the [19]featured picture spans about 200 light-years, but a
   [20]tantalizing assortment of background galaxies are also visible in
   [21]this sharp view. The [22]background galaxies are hundreds of
   millions of light-years -- or more -- [23]beyond NGC 602.

                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
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    Authors & editors: [35]Robert Nemiroff ([36]MTU) & [37]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([38]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [39]Specific rights apply.
            [40]NASA Web Privacy, [41]Accessibility, [42]Notices;
                A service of: [43]ASD at [44]NASA / [45]GSFC,
                         [46]NASA Science Activation
                           & [47]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2407/Ngc602_ChandraHubbleSpitzer_3600.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210105.html
   4. https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stars/
   5. https://youtu.be/LpQgKX1fGxQ
   6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_602
   7. https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2007/news-2007-04.html
   8. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/11_xrays/
   9. https://www.nasa.gov/mission/chandra-x-ray-observatory/
  10. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/07_infraredwaves/
  11. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/spitzer/
  12. https://i.pinimg.com/474x/9d/a6/41/9da64199c08de5d023a91f52ac404273.jpg
  13. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/10_ultravioletwaves/
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240104.html
  15. https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/videos/2007/04/539-Video.html
  16. https://youtu.be/jn5M48MVWyg
  17. https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230211.html
  19. https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/2007/04/2042-Image.html
  20. https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/videos/2007/04/539-Video.html
  21. http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2013/ngc602/
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210802.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150307.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240701.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  30. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  33. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=240702
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240703.html
  35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  36. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  37. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  38. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  43. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  44. https://www.nasa.gov/
  45. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  46. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  47. http://www.mtu.edu/