COLLECTION NAME:
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Record
Title:
Hydrogen Blob N88A in the Small Magellanic Cloud
Explanation:
The bright blob of hydrogen gas [ http://wwwusr.obspm… ] cataloged as N88A is seen at the right. It measures a mere 3 light years across. Emerging from the cool, dusty interstellar medium in a nearby irregular galaxy known as the Small Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.… ], N88A hides hot young stars at its core. The false-color [ http://aibn47.astro… ] Hubble Space Telescope image was recorded in the characteristic "H-alpha" light emitted by hydrogen atoms [ http://csep10.phys.… ] as they are ionized by the young star's energetic ultraviolet light and then recombine. Other regions [ http://antwrp.gsfc.… ] of ionized hydrogen (H II regions [ http://www.treasure… ]) which surround new born stars can be over a thousand light-years across [ http://antwrp.gsfc.… ] but astronomers now recognize that these small ionized hydrogen blobs contain some of the most massive stars known.
Credit and Copyright:
M. Heydari-Malayeri (Paris Observatory [ http://www.obspm.fr/ ]) et al., WFPC2 [ http://www.stsci.ed… ], HST [ http://www.stsci.ed… ], ESA [ http://www.esrin.es… ], NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov/ ]
keyword:
hydrogen
facet_where:
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_what:
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
UID:
SPD-APOD-ap990729
