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- STELLAR NURSERY
The core of the Lagoon
Nebula (M8) is a turbulent
star-forming region. Its dark
namesake is the result of that
region being sculpted by
ultraviolet radiation from
nearby stars. M8 lies in the
constellation Sagittarius,
some 5,000 light-years away.
- Chuck Ayoub
- RED SKY AT NIGHT
The Northern Trifid Nebula
(NGC 1579) resembles the
well-known Trifid Nebula
(M20) in Sagittarius. Here,
though, the red glow is
not emission nebulosity,
but light that has been
intensely reddened by dust.
NGC 1579 lies in Perseus
some 2,100 light-years away.
- Richard Hammar
- UP AGAINST THE WALL
The nearly full Moon rises at
sunset above Jiayu Pass at
the west end of the Great Wall
of China. The wall, now a
World Heritage Site, was the
largest military structure ever
built. The pinkish band is the
belt of Venus, and below it is
Earth’s shadow. • Jeff Dai - ENGAGE!
Barred spiral galaxy NGC 3718
has been warped from a
cosmic dance with a galactic
neighbor. Such interactions
often spark new star
formation, seen here as the
blue clumps toward the top
of the galaxy. NGC 3718 lies
53 million light-years away.
The cluster of five galaxies
above it, Hickson 56, is more
than eight times more distant,
with its light having traveled
425 million years before
reaching Earth. • Kent Wood
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