"THE HEAVENS DECLARE THE GLORY OF GOD; AND THE FIRMAMENT SHOWS HIS HANDIWORK." Psalm 19:1
Stellar Snowflake Cluster
Newborn stars, hidden behind thick dust, are revealed in this image of a section of the Christmas Tree Cluster from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The newly revealed infant stars appear as pink and red specks toward the center and appear to have formed in regularly spaced intervals along linear structures in a configuration that resembles the spokes of a wheel or the pattern of a snowflake. Hence, astronomers have nicknamed this the "Snowflake Cluster." Star-forming clouds like this one are dynamic and evolving structures. Since the stars trace the straight line pattern of spokes of a wheel, scientists believe that these are newborn stars, or "protostars." Over time, the natural drifting motions of each star will break this order, and the snowflake design will be no more.
While most of the visible-light stars that give the Christmas Tree Cluster its name and triangular shape do not shine brightly in Spitzer's infrared eyes, all of the stars forming from this dusty cloud are considered part of the cluster.
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Happy Hump Day!
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Wow, this is amazing! Thanks for sharing this! Susan
ReplyDeleteBeautiful picture. I'll make sure my kids visit the site as well to see the other pictures NASA has. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteHello;
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading your past post I came across this one. Regarding PS 19:1 and the Stellar Snowflake Cluster... If you get a chance go to Google Earth and click on the blackness and void and you'll be surprised at what's out there beyond our sight! So many stars & galaxies, and to think God has named every star out there.
My husband & I were just viewing Google Earth a few days ago and were in total awe of all the stars, black holes, and galaxies.
Take Care,
Brenda