Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/CfA/J.Forbrich et al.; Infrared: NASA/SSC/CfA/IRAC GTO Team

The Corona Australis region is one of the nearest and most active regions of ongoing star formation in our Galaxy. At only 420 light years away, the Coronet is 3.5 times closer than the Orion Nebula Cluster. The Coronet contains a loose cluster of a few dozen known young stars with a wide range of masses at various stages of evolution. The central area of the star-forming region contains the densest clustering of very young stars, embedded in dust and gas. This composite image shows the Coronet in X-rays (Chandra, purple) and infrared emission (Spitzer, orange, green, and cyan). By studying the variability in different energies, scientists hope to better understand the evolution of very young stars.

Provider: Chandra X-ray Observatory

Image Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2007/coronet/

Curator: Chandra X-ray Observatory, Cambridge, MA, USA

Image Use Policy: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html