Status: 11/10/2022 3:14 p.m
The European Southern Observatory has captured an exceptional image of the Cone Nebula in the constellation Unicorn. A special telescope and special filters made it possible.
Astronomers have succeeded in taking a mystical image of the so-called Cone Nebula in the constellation Unicorn. At the center is the nebula’s seven light-year-long pillar, according to the European Southern Observatory (ESO), whose Very Large Telescope (VLT) was used to capture the image in Chile.
At a distance of 2500 light-years, the Cone Nebula is comparatively close to our planet and is therefore a well-studied celestial object. “But this sight is more dramatic than all previous ones, because it shows the dark and impenetrable cloud cover of the nebula in a way that is reminiscent of a mythological creature,” said ESO, based in Garching near Munich.
Gas and dust condense into columnar structures
The Cone Nebula was discovered by astronomer William Herschel in the late 18th century. The nebula is a perfect example of the columnar shapes formed in the vast clouds of cold molecular gas and dust, Eso writes.
The columnar shape is formed when massive, newly formed bright blue stars emit stellar winds and intense ultraviolet radiation that blow material away from their surroundings. According to the researchers, gas and dust are compressed into dense, dark and tall columnar structures at a greater distance from the young stars.
In the picture, hydrogen gas is shown in blue and sulfur gas in red. Using these filters makes the otherwise bright blue stars, indicative of recent star formation, appear almost golden. With the picture, ESO also wants to draw attention to its 60th anniversary.