Thor’s helmet nebula, picture of February of the Observatori Astronòmic del Montsec [NOT TRANSLATED]

2016-02-29 00:00:00
Thor’s helmet nebula, picture of February of the Observatori Astronòmic del Montsec
Each month the Observatori Astronòmic del Montsec (OAdM) of IEEC publishes an outstanding image from the observations made. In February, the protagonist of the picture of the month is Thor’s Helmet Nebula.

Febrer_oadm

This interstellar cloud has the curious shape of a helmet, including the wings, of the mythical God Thor. It’s a huge bubble, about 30 year’s diameter light, and dominated by a giant star which is located right in the centre. This star, called Wolf-Rayet, would be in the previous moments of a supernova explosion, and its stellar winds are those who shape the curious shape of the nebula.

Despite being located some 15,000 light years away, the telescope Joan Oró, of the OAdM has been able to capture Thor’s helmet nebula with this detail thanks to 4-hour exposure time with a combination of broad-band filters. [NOT TRANSLATED]

Share This