Astronomers using the MPG/ESO 2.2-m telescope at the La Silla Observatory, Chile, have captured a new image of the little-known nebula Gum 41.
This new image from the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-m telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile shows the star formation region Gum 41. Image credit: ESO.
Gum 41lies in the constellation of Centaurus, about 7,300 light-years away.
In the middle of Gum 41, hot young stars are giving off energetic radiation that causes the surrounding hydrogen to glow with a characteristic red hue.
Another famous example of this phenomenon is the Lagoon Nebula, a vast cloud that glows in similar bright shades of scarlet.
Australian astronomer Colin Gum discovered this nebula on images taken at the Mount Stromlo Observatory near Canberra, and included it in his catalogue of 84 emission nebulae, published in 1955.
Gum 41 is actually one small part of a bigger structure called the Lambda Centauri Nebula, also known by the more exotic name of the Running Chicken Nebula.
In the new image, the clouds in Gum 41 appear to be quite thick and bright, but this is actually misleading.
If a hypothetical human space traveler could pass through this nebula, it is likely that they would not notice it as – even at close quarters – it would be too faint for the human eye to see.
This helps to explain why Gum 41 had to wait until the mid-20th century to be discovered – its light is spread very thinly and the red glow cannot be well seen visually.
