                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    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.

                               2023 October 10
    The center of the Orion Nebula is seen in infrared light as imaged by
     the James Webb Space Telescope. In the center is the Trapezium Star
    Cluster. The main image is in near infrared light, while the rollover
     image is in mid-infrared light. Please see the explanation for more
                            detailed information.

                           Hidden Orion from Webb
        Image Credit & License: NASA, ESA, CSA, JWST; Processing: M.
                          McCaughrean & S. Pearson

   Explanation: The Great Nebula in Orion has hidden stars. To the unaided
   eye in visible light, it appears as a small fuzzy patch in the
   constellation of Orion. But this image was taken by the Webb Space
   Telescope in a representative-color composite of red and very near
   infrared light. It confirms with impressive detail that the Orion
   Nebula is a busy neighborhood of young stars, hot gas, and dark dust.
   The rollover image shows the same image in representative colors
   further into the near infrared. The power behind much of the Orion
   Nebula (M42) is the Trapezium - a cluster of bright stars near the
   nebula's center. The diffuse and filamentary glow surrounding the
   bright stars is mostly heated interstellar dust. Detailed inspection of
   these images shows an unexpectedly large number of Jupiter-Mass Binary
   Objects (JuMBOs), pairs of Jupiter-mass objects which might give a clue
   to how stars are forming. The whole Orion Nebula cloud complex, which
   includes the Horsehead Nebula, will slowly disperse over the next few
   million years.

   APOD editor to speak: in Houghton, Michigan on Thursday, October 12 at
                                    6 pm
                        Tomorrow's picture: star gone
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

