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.

                               2021 January 16

                          The Mountains of NGC 2174
         Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

   Explanation: This fantastic skyscape lies near the edge of NGC 2174 a
   star forming region about 6,400 light-years away in the nebula-rich
   constellation of Orion. It follows mountainous clouds of gas and dust
   carved by winds and radiation from the region's newborn stars, now
   found scattered in open star clusters embedded around the center of NGC
   2174, off the top of the frame. Though star formation continues within
   these dusty cosmic clouds they will likely be dispersed by the
   energetic newborn stars within a few million years. Recorded at
   infrared wavelengths by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2014, the
   interstellar scene spans about 6 light-years. Scheduled for launch in
   2021, the James Webb Space Telescope is optimized for exploring the
   Universe at infrared wavelengths.

                      Tomorrow's picture: active galaxy
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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