In the gorgeous spring, it is time to enjoy the flowers. Do you know that not only are flowers blooming on the earth in spring, but there are also many gorgeous nebulae named after flowers, leaves, and butterflies in the night sky "garden".
Wang Kechao, director of science popularization at the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, introduced that nebulae refer to diffuse interstellar media composed of gas, dust, etc. The Rose Nebula (NGC 2237) is not the only nebula in the universe that is easily associated with flowers, but it is one of the more famous. About 5,000 light-years away, the Rose Nebula is located at the end of the massive molecular cloud in the constellation Monoceros, named for its resemblance to a rose. At its center is a stellar birth zone where a large number of young stars are clustered to form an open cluster NGC 2244, and the stellar winds emitted by the open cluster "blow" a "hole" in the center of the nebula. After dark in spring, we can find it in the southwest-facing sky.
When the tulip season arrives in the Northern Hemisphere, the tulips in the night sky "garden" are also "opening", which is the tulip nebula numbered Sh2-101. Interstellar gas and dust make up the red "petals" that glow by the ultraviolet light of a nearby young star. At around half past nine in the evening of late April, it slowly rises from the northeast of the sky.
Spring night sky with blue iris nebula (NGC 7023). It is a bright reflected nebula in the constellation Cepheus with an apparent magnitude of about 6.8, and its characteristic blue color is caused by dust particles reflecting the starlight of a nearby hot blue star. The Iris Nebula has a high declination in a celestial region spanning about 6 light-years and is visible all night in the northern part of the continent in spring.
Flowers are indispensable for the foliage. The Trilobal Nebula (M 20) in the constellation Sagittarius is named after the fact that there are three distinct "black lines" that divide the nebula into three pieces, resembling three leaves. This celestial body is composed of a variety of nebulae such as open clusters, reflected nebulae, and dark nebulae, and rises southeast of the sky at about 11:30 p.m. in late April.
Where there are flowers, butterflies are also attracted, and the "Night Sky Garden" is no different. The Butterfly Nebula (NGC 6302) in the constellation Scorpio, shaped like a butterfly's wings, rises southeast of the sky at around midnight in late April. Another Butterfly Nebula (PN M2-9), located in the constellation Ophiuchus, is a planetary nebula that rises southeast of the sky after 9:30 p.m. in late April. Before stars die, they throw out their outer layers of gas, which often form spectacular and beautiful planetary nebulae.
"With the help of telescopes, the public can see the general outline of these nebulae. Their details, colors, etc., need to be exposed for a long time with the help of telescopes and professional cameras, and can be better represented with the aid of post-processing. Wang Kechao said.
Source: Xinhua News Agency