This detailed view of the reflection nebula Messier 78 was taken with the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. As well as the blue regions of light from very young stars the image also shows streams of dark dust and the red jets emerging from stars in the process of formation.
This image of Messier 78 was captured using the VISTA telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory. In the image, Messier 78 is the bluish haze in the center, the other reflection nebula towards the right goes by the name of NGC 2071. Image credit: ESO.
Messier 78 is a diffuse reflection nebula in the northern constellation Orion, at a distance of about 1,600 light-years.
Also known as M78, NGC 2068 and DG 80, the nebula was discovered in 1780 by the French astronomer Pierre Méchain.
In this newly released image of Messier 78, young stars cast a bluish pall over their surroundings, while red fledgling stars peer out from their cocoons of cosmic dust.
To our eyes, most of these stars would be hidden behind the dust, but VISTA sees near-infrared light, which passes right through dust.
In the center of the image, two blue supergiant stars, HD 38563 A and B, shine brightly.
Towards the right of the image, the supergiant star illuminating the reflection nebula NGC 2071, called HD 290861, is also seen.
Besides big, blue, hot stars, VISTA can also see many stars that are just forming within the cosmic dust strewn about this region, their reddish and yellow colors shown clearly in this image.
These infant stars can be found in the dust bands around NGC 2071 and along the trail of dust running towards the left of the image.
Although relatively bright, they are not yet hot enough for nuclear fusion reactions to have commenced in their cores.
In several tens of millions of years, they will attain full ‘starhood,’ and will take their place alongside their stellar brethren lighting up the Messier 78 region.
