NASA Spots Massive Star Responsible For Formation Of New Stellar Objects

NASA shared a photo of a massive stellar formation that was triggered by a single star. According to the agency, the photo was captured by the Chandra X-ray Observatory’s infrared camera.

The image shared by NASA features the large molecular cloud known as Cepheus B. It is located in the Cepheus constellation and is about 2,400 light-years from Earth.

Within this massive cloud is a collection of various cosmic objects such as nebulas, gas, dust and newborn stars. According to NASA, a star-forming region known as Cepheus C can be seen below the tip of the image. This area is rich in gas and dust that lead to the formation of new stars.

Just below this region is a massive star that has been identified as V374 Ceph. Astronomers noted that this star is most likely surrounded by dusty material. The radiation emitted by the star and its surrounding materials greatly contribute to the formation of the newborn stars within the region.

“The small, red hourglass shape just below Cepheus C is V374 Ceph,” NASA said in a statement. “Astronomers studying this massive star have speculated that it might be surrounded by a nearly edge-on disk of dark, dusty material. The dark cones extending to the right and left of the star are a shadow of that disk.”

Aside from the massive star, another notable feature of the cloud is its bright tip. According to NASA, this particular area glows brightly as it has been heated by the radiation emitted by nearby stars.

Through Chandra’s Infrared Array Camera, NASA was able to capture the various colors within the tip of the cloud that are normally invisible to the human eye. The agency explained that each of these colors represents a different infrared light.

“The bright region at the tip of the nebula is dust that has been heated by the stars' radiation, which creates the surrounding red glow,” NASA stated. “The white color is the combination of four colors (blue, green, orange and red), each representing a different wavelength of infrared light, which is invisible to human eyes.”