On June 3, 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope took a partial photo of the Matou Nebula through a near-infrared camera and a mid-infrared detector, showing unprecedented detail and clarity, making people feel like they are in it, and this photo has also become one of the hot topics in recent times.
The Horsehead Nebula is a huge cloud column located in the constellation Orion, about 1,300 light-years from Earth, which is a photon-dominated region that is of great significance for studying the evolution of interstellar matter and chemical processes, so what is unique about this image from the Webb telescope?
What new clues can it provide for astronomers?
1. The importance of the Matou Nebula.
The Mau Thong Nebula is an important photon-dominated region laboratory for astronomers to study the interaction of structure and chemical processes in interstellar space, thanks to the clear structure of the Matou Nebula, which allows people to distinguish the Matou Nebula from other nebulae at a glance.
The photon-dominant region is a special region in interstellar space, and its energy mainly comes from stellar radiation, rather than the chemical reactions in dust and gas in interstellar space.
As a photon-dominated region, the interstellar gas and dust inside the Matou Nebula are affected by the heating of young massive stars, which means that the material composition of the Matou Nebula is different from other nebulae, so the Matou Nebula is called the "photon-dominant region" by astronomers, and the structure of the Matou Nebula is very clear, which also makes the Matou Nebula an important tool for astronomers to study the photon-dominant region.
Since the energy of the photon-dominated region mainly comes from stellar radiation, the chemical reactions in interstellar space will also be affected in the photon-dominant region, for example, the chemical reaction between hydrogen molecules and other atoms will be inhibited, and the decomposition rate of hydrogen molecules will be accelerated, which means that the distribution of hydrogen molecules will change in the photon-dominant region.
Therefore, astronomers can study the process of chemical reactions in interstellar space in photon-dominated regions such as the Matou Nebula, and the impact of these reactions on the evolution of matter in interstellar space, so as to increase the understanding of the evolution and chemical process of interstellar matter, and provide important clues for solving the mysteries of the universe.
2. The structure of the Horsehead Nebula.
The Horsehead Nebula is a huge pillar of cloud that is shaped like a galloping war horse, so it is called the "Horsehead Nebula" by astronomers.
The formation of the Horsehead Nebula is due to the influence of stellar radiation, which heats up the gas and dust in interstellar space, causing the gas and dust in interstellar space to expand and form a huge cloud column.
Under the action of gas, the dust will gradually form clumps, and then these clumps will become translucent gases, which is the result of the cold dust inside the horsehead nebula under the action of gas, and these translucent gas clouds are the main components of the horsehead nebula.
The main components of the Matou Nebula are hydrogen molecules, helium molecules, dust and some noble gases, while the Matou Nebula mainly has three main parts, namely the main pillar, the top of the Matou Nebula and the bottom of the Matou Nebula, where the height of the pillar is about 5 light years, and the width is 2 light years, it is composed of gas and dust, and it is very rare.
Therefore, the cloud pillar itself is not very obvious, and the condition of the cloud column can only be observed through the mid-infrared detector, and the interior of the cloud column is very dense, with a density of about 10,000 atoms per cubic centimeter, while the interior of the cloud column is very complex, and the gas and dust in interstellar space are constantly undergoing chemical reactions under the action of stellar radiation.
Such complex chemical reactions have led to the formation of a variety of molecules inside the cloud column, which also provides a basis for astronomers to study the internal structure and chemical reactions of the Matou Nebula.
The cloud top of the Matou Nebula is due to the stellar radiation inhibiting the chemical reaction between hydrogen molecules, so at the top of the cloud, the decomposition rate of hydrogen molecules is much greater than the chemical reaction rate between hydrogen molecules, so the distribution of hydrogen molecules will change at the top of the cloud.
The hydrogen molecules at the top of the cloud will continue to spread outward with the action of stellar radiation, thus forming the unique cloud top shape of the Matou Nebula, while the bottom of the Matou Nebula is inhibited by the action of stellar radiation, so the distribution of hydrogen molecules will be changed.
The bottom of the Horsehead Nebula is formed in the shape of a cloud column due to the action of stellar radiation, and there are many dark cloud areas inside the cloud column, so at the bottom of the cloud, a large number of dark cloud areas will be formed, which is the reason for the bottom of the Horsehead Nebula.
3. Photograph of the Webb telescope.
The Webb telescope captured a partial image of the Matou Nebula with a near-infrared camera and a mid-infrared sonde, which showed unprecedented detail and clarity, making you feel like you're in the middle of it.
What is unique about this photo and the previous ones?
The previous photos of the Horsehead Nebula were mainly taken through the Hubble Telescope, while the Webb Telescope took photos through two different instruments, namely the near-infrared camera and the mid-infrared detector, while the Hubble Telescope took pictures mainly through visible light, so the photos taken by the Hubble Telescope are more about the shape of the Horsehead Nebula.
The Webb telescope uses the images taken by the near-infrared camera and the mid-infrared detector, which means that the photos taken by the Webb telescope can better observe the internal structure and characteristics of the Matou Nebula.
And the photos taken by the Webb telescope have also been carefully processed by astronomers to take such clear pictures.
In the photos taken by the Webb telescope, the shape of the main pillar of the horsehead nebula can be seen more clearly, and the internal structure of the pillar can also be seen, which also provides new clues for astronomers to study the formation of the pillar and the chemical reactions inside.
The photographs taken by the Webb telescope will provide more clues for astronomers to study the structure and evolution of nebulae, and are expected to promote the progress of related research and provide a more comprehensive understanding of interstellar chemical reactions and the evolution of matter.
epilogue
The Matou Nebula is an important photon-dominated region laboratory, which helps astronomers expand their understanding of interstellar chemical reactions and the evolution of matter, and provides important clues to unravel the mysteries of the universe.
By comparing the photos taken by different telescopes, we can have a more comprehensive understanding of the characteristics and evolution of the Matou Nebula, and provide more perspectives and data support for astronomical research.
The high-definition photos taken by the Webb telescope provide more clues about the structure and evolution of nebulae for astronomical research, which is expected to promote the progress of related research.