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Back Stunning new Herschel and XMM-Newton image of M16

Stunning new Herschel and XMM-Newton image of M16


Date: 16 January 2012
Satellite: Herschel and XMM-Newton
Depicts: Messier 16
Copyright: far-infrared: ESA/Herschel/PACS/SPIRE/Hill, Motte, HOBYS Key Programme Consortium; X-ray: ESA/XMM-Newton/EPIC/XMM-Newton-SOC/Boulanger

Combining almost opposite ends of the electromagnetic spectrum, this composite of the Herschel in far-infrared and XMM-Newton's X-ray images shows how the hot young stars detected by the X-ray observations are sculpting and interacting with the surrounding ultra-cool gas and dust, which, at only a few degrees above absolute zero, is the critical material for star formation itself. Both wavelengths would be blocked by Earth's atmosphere, so are critical to our understanding of the lifecycle of stars.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
22-Apr-2026 09:34 UT

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