The Solar System

Visual

Infrared image

BN

KL

In this near-infrared image,

known among some

astronomers as the

“Hand of God” image,

fingers of gas rush

away from the

region of the

infrared

protostars.

In this near-infrared image,

known among some

astronomers as the

“Hand of God” image,

fingers of gas rush

away from the

region of the

infrared

protostars.

The spectral types of the Trapezium stars are

shown here. The gas looks green because of

filters used to record the image.

The Becklin-

Neugebauer object

(BN) is a hot B star

just reaching the

main sequence. It

is not detectable

at visual

wavelengths. The

Kleinmann-Low

nebula (KL) is a cluster of cool young

protostars also detectable only in the infrared.

500 AU

Ultraviolet + visual + infrared imageInfrared image

Infrared

NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Megeath

Anglo-Australian Observatory / David Malin Images

Dan Gezari, Dana Backman,

and Mike Werner

NASA

NASA

Below, a far-infrared image has been combined

with an ultraviolet and visible image to reveal

extensive nebulosity surrounding the visible Orion Nebula.

Red and orange show the location of cold, carbon-rich gas

molecules. Green areas outline hot, ionized gas around

young stars. The infrared image reveals protostars buried

in the gas cloud behind the visible nebula.

Below, a far-infrared image has been combined
with an ultraviolet and visible image to reveal
extensive nebulosity surrounding the visible Orion Nebula.
Red and orange show the location of cold, carbon-rich gas
molecules. Green areas outline hot, ionized gas around
young stars. The infrared image reveals protostars buried
in the gas cloud behind the visible nebula.

3

As many as 85 percent of the

stars in the Orion Nebula are

surrounded by disks of gas and dust.

One such disk is seen at the upper

right of this Hubble Space Telescope

image, magnified in inset. Radiation from the nearby

hot Trapezium stars is evaporating gas from the disk

and driving it away to form an elongated nebula.

4

Trapezium

cluster

B3

B1

O6

B1

Visual-wavelength image