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> Taurus Molecular Cloud

Taurus Molecular Cloud

author: J.Lodriguss/Novapix

reference: a-neb88-00001

Image Size 300 DPI: 32 * 21 cm

The Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC) is located on the border of the constellations of Taurus and Perseus. It is a large dense area of gas and dust in space made mostly of molecular hydrogen and helium. It is a birth place of stars, which form from the material in the cloud. Covering about 20 x 30 degrees, this wide-angle image shows a complex of bright red emission nebulae, star clusters, blue reflection nebulosity, and complex dark nebulae. The TMC is located about 400 light years away, and is one of the closest molecular clouds to our solar system. The California Nebula (NGC 1499), a very large red emission nebula, is at upper right. Emission nebulae are made up of glowing hydrogen gas. Located in Perseus, it gets its name from its resemblance to the state of California on a map of the United States. It lies about 1,000 light years away. NGC 1499 was discovered by E. E. Barnard in 1884. Barnard also discovered and listed many of the dark nebulae in this region in his famous catalog A Photographic Atlas of Selected Areas of the Milky Way, including B7, B18 and B19, near the center of the image. The Pleiades, M45, is the beautiful open cluster involved with blue reflection nebulosity at lower right center. Open clusters NGC 1817, NGC 1746, NGC 1647 are on the left side of the image. The Hyades, Melotte 25, is a very distinctive large star cluster in the shape of a "V" at lower left. It is the nearest open cluster at a distance of about 151 light years. Bright Aldebaran, Alpha Tauri, a red giant star shining at magnitude 0.75 to 0.95, lies at one end of the V, but is not a member of the cluster. At a distance of 65 light years, it just happens to lie along the same line of sight by coincidence. NGC 1579 is a small knot of red emission nebulosity at upper right, and IC 348 is a complex of nebulosity near Omicron Persei at right.

Keywords for this photo:

2009 - ALDEBARAN - ASTRONOMY - B18 - B19 - B7 - BARNARD 18 - BARNARD 19 - BARNARD 7 - CALIFORNIA - DARK NEBULA - EMISSION NEBULA - HYADES - IC 348 - M45 - MOLECULAR CLOUD - NEBULA - NGC 1499 - NGC 1647 - NGC 1746 - NGC 1817 - OPEN CLUSTER - PERSEUS - PLEIADES - REFLECTION NEBULA - STAR - STAR CLUSTER - STAR FORMATION - TAURUS - YOUNG STAR -