(ORDO NEWS) — Astronomers have photographed the Sh2-54 nebula and many stars beyond it.
The study was conducted using VISTA, the world‘s largest survey telescope operating in the near infrared region of the spectrum with a mirror diameter of 4.1 m. The original image has a resolution of 67 megapixels.
Nebulae are huge clouds of gas and dust from which stars are born. Nebula Sh2-54 is located in the constellation Serpens at a distance of 6 thousand light years.
While visible light is easily absorbed by dust clouds in nebulae, infrared radiation can pass almost unhindered through thick layers of dust.
Thus, many stars hidden behind the veil also fell into the image. In visible light, the nebula would be much brighter, and the stars would be much less visible.
This is important for scientists because it allows us to study the interior of nebulae and thus learn more about how stars form.
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