OPHIUCHUS & SCORPIO
The Rho Ophiuchi complex - courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/SST
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A false-color image from the Spitzer Space Telescope showing a small section of the vast star-forming nebulae in the vicinity of the binary system Rho Ophiuchi. This pair of hot B-type stars, each at least 8 times as massive as our sun (Kaler 2008), is embedded in a large network of clouds and streaming filaments known as the Rho Ophiuchi Complex or Ophiuchus Association. This complex is located about 145 parsecs (475 light years) from our Solar System. Its newborn stars are scattered over an area at least 30 parsecs (100 light years) in diameter. The image above, however, covers only about 1 parsec. Star formation has been continuing in this region for millions of years, since the oldest stars are 10-14 million years old, while the youngest are about 300,000 years old (all data Makarov 2007). See also APOD. |
The Pipe Nebula; courtesy W.H. Wang
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The dark clouds of the Pipe Nebula in Ophiuchus, against the brighter clouds of the Milky Way's disk. The dark streaks of gas extending to the right continue out of the frame of this image until they intersect with the Antares-Rho Ophiuchi complex, shown below. |
Nebulae in Ophiuchus and Scorpio. Courtesy W.H. Wang
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Luminous and dark clouds in Scorpio and Ophiuchus surround several young stars. The red supergiant Antares, brightest star in Scorpio, is obscured by yellowish emission nebulae in this exposure; it is the bottom left star in the trapezoid of stars just right of center. Located at a distance of about 160 parsecs, Antares has 400 times the diameter and 10,000 times the luminosity of our Sun. It is destined to explode as a spectacular supernova some time in the astronomically near future. This supergiant has a much dimmer and less evolved binary companion of spectral class B2.5. Above the trapezoid of stars, in the midst of the blue reflection nebula, is the binary star Rho Ophiuchi, which consists of a pair of B2 stars. Rho Ophiuchi is about 145 parsecs away (475 light years). See also APOD. |
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