Webb’s View of the Molecular Cloud Chameleon I

Esahubble_sci23001a_1024

esahubble_sci23001a April 26th, 2023

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and M. Zamani (ESA/Webb); Science: F. Sun (Steward Observatory), Z. Smith (Open University), and the Ice Age ERS Team.

This image by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam) features the central region of the Chameleon I dark molecular cloud, which resides 630 light years away. The cold, wispy cloud material (blue, centre) is illuminated in the infrared by the glow of the young, outflowing protostar Ced 110 IRS 4 (orange, upper left). The light from numerous background stars, seen as orange dots behind the cloud, can be used to detect ices in the cloud, which absorb the starlight passing through them.  An international team of astronomers has reported the discovery of diverse ices in the darkest, coldest regions of a molecular cloud measured to date by studying this region. This result allows astronomers to examine the simple icy molecules that will be incorporated into future exoplanets, while opening a new window on the origin of more complex molecules that are the first step in the creation of the building blocks of life. [Image Description: A large, dark cloud is contained within the frame. In its top half it is textured like smoke and has wispy gaps, while at the bottom and at the sides it fades gradually out of view. On the left are several orange stars: three each with six large spikes, and one behind the cloud which colours it pale blue and orange. Many tiny stars are visible, and the background is black.]

Provider: Hubble Space Telescope | ESA

Image Source: https://esahubble.org/images/sci23001a/

Curator: ESA/Hubble, Baltimore, MD, United States

Image Use Policy: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
Cha 1 IRAS 11051-7706 [PMG2001] NIR 38 SSTSL2 J110621.64-772354.1
Esahubble_sci23001a_128
 

Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 11h 6m 36.2s
DEC = -77° 23’ 13.7”
Orientation
North is 23.2° CCW
Field of View
4.7 x 2.3 arcminutes
Constellation
Chamaeleon

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Cyan Webb (NIRCam) Infrared (None) 1.5 µm
Orange Webb (NIRCam) Infrared (None) 4.1 µm
Spectrum_base
Cyan
Orange
Esahubble_sci23001a_1280
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ID
sci23001a
Subject Category
Subject Name
Cha 1, IRAS 11051-7706, [PMG2001] NIR 38, SSTSL2 J110621.64-772354.1
Credits
NASA, ESA, CSA, and M. Zamani (ESA/Webb); Science: F. Sun (Steward Observatory), Z. Smith (Open University), and the Ice Age ERS Team.
Release Date
2023-04-26T15:49:31
Lightyears
Redshift
Reference Url
https://esahubble.org/images/sci23001a/
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Distance Notes
Facility
James Webb Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope
Instrument
NIRCam, NIRCam
Color Assignment
Cyan, Orange
Band
Infrared, Infrared
Bandpass
None, None
Central Wavelength
1500, 4100
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
None, None
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
J2000
Reference Value
166.65077792373984, -77.38714429534076
Reference Dimension
9474.0, 4654.0
Reference Pixel
4737.0, 2327.0
Scale
-8.31514215560459e-06, 8.31514215560459e-06
Rotation
23.219999999999953
Coordinate System Projection:
TAN
Quality
Full
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
ESA/Hubble
URL
https://esahubble.org
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
ESA Office, Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Dr
City
Baltimore
State/Province
MD
Postal Code
21218
Country
United States
Rights
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Publisher
ESA/Hubble
Publisher ID
esahubble
Resource ID
sci23001a
Metadata Date
2023-01-18T17:01:34+01:00
Metadata Version
1.1
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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There is no distance meta data in this image.

 

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