The Hubble telescope photographed a ‘keyhole-nebula’
The Hubble telescope has photographed a nebula in the constellation of Orion with an unusual appearance. The photo was published on the Hubble website of the European Space Agency.
The image shows NGC 1999, a reflection nebula. This is what astronomers call nebulae that are illuminated by surrounding stars rather than emitting light on their own. NGC 1999 is about 1,350 light-years from the Sun, in a region of active star formation. The source of light for the nebula is V380 Orionis, a young star visible in the center of the “well.”
The nebula itself around the star is the remnant of the cloud from which the luminosity emerged. The reason for the formation of an unusual “gap” in the center of the cloud is not clear to astronomers.
The image was obtained in 1999, but only now it has been processed and published.
Previously, astronomers have discovered gravitational anomalies in nearby star clusters.
