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CHAMÄLEON + ONJALA OBSERVATORY DeepSky | SITEMAP HOME CHAMÄLEON |
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| « back to overview Nebula | Load higher resolution (1800 x 1200 Pixel 3500 x 2700 Pixel) | Object description |
Our image shows the molecular cloud Sharpless Sh2-63 (also LBN 86, MBM 158/159) of the object class "Integrated Flux Nebulae" of the galactic cirrus. These reflecting molecular clouds lie far from the galactic plane and are relatively rare and very faint.
Sharpless 63 seems to be a very rarely scientifically studied object, as there is almost no further information to be found on the internet. There is only a very vague hint that Sh2-63 is part of the so-called "Aquila Rift" and lies at a distance of about 700 to 800 light years from the solar system. Also, there are almost no pictures of it taken by amateurs on the internet. From its shape, it reminds us of an interstellar jellyfish.
The Aquila Rift
The so-called Aquila Rift is a region of sky in the constellations Aquila, Serpens Cauda and east of Ophiuchus that contains dark interstellar clouds and also molecular clouds. They represent a phase of the interstellar medium that is cold and dense enough for molecules to form, especially molecular hydrogen (H2).
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These
clouds are opaque to light in the optical part of the spectrum because
interstellar dust grains are mixed with the gaseous components of the clouds.
The Aquila Rift is a large star-forming region near the Sun. Observations with
the Herschel space telescope show more than 200 proto-stellar
objects. We show three more inventive molecular clouds of the Integrated Flux Nebulae type here (MW 9), here (Sh2-33) and here (Sh2-36). There you will also find more information about this object class. « Click here and or on the thumbnail to load a large image with object names and size comparison to the moon. |
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