Astronomy Picture of the Day

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                                 2019 March 3
                                      [2]
                              The Orion Bullets
      Image Credit: GeMS/GSAOI Team, Gemini Observatory, AURA [3] , NSF;
  Processing: Rodrigo Carrasco (Gemini Obs.), Travis Rector [4] (Univ. Alaska
                                Anchorage [5] )

Explanation: Why are bullets of gas shooting out of the Orion Nebula? Nobody
is yet sure. First discovered in 1983, each bullet is actually about the size
of our Solar System [6] , and moving at about 400 km/sec [7]  from a central
source dubbed IRc2. The age of the bullets, which can be found from their
speed and distance from IRc2 [8] , is very young -- typically less than 1,000
years. As the bullets expand [9]  out the top of the Kleinmann-Low [10]
section of the Orion Nebula [11] , a small percentage of iron gas causes the
tip of each bullet to glow blue, while each bullet [12]  leaves a tubular
pillar that glows by the light of heated hydrogen gas. The detailed image [13]
was created using the 8.1 meter Gemini South [14]  telescope in Chile [15]
with an adaptive optics [16]  system (GeMS). GeMS uses [17] five laser
generated [18]  guide stars to help compensate for the blurring effects [19]
of planet Earth's atmosphere [20] .

                        Tomorrow's picture: sky aligned

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [32] (MTU [33] ) & Jerry Bonnell [34]
                                  (UMCP [35] )
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              A service of: ASD [38]  at NASA [39]  / GSFC [40]
                           & Michigan Tech. U. [41]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1903/OrionBullets_Gemini_2592.jpg
  [3] http://www.gemini.edu/
  [4] http://aftar.uaa.alaska.edu/
  [5] http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/
  [6] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/our...
  [7] http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2000MNRAS.315.....
  [8] http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2000ApJ...534.....
  [9] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAD142TDcp0
  [10] ap990302.html
  [11] ap990202.html
  [12] http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013prpl.conf1B...
  [13] http://www.gemini.edu/node/11925
  [14] http://www.gemini.edu/about
  [15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile
  [16] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptive_optics
  [17] http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/instruments/gems
  [18] ap090816.html
  [19] ap000725.html
  [20] https://espo.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/ima...
  [21] ap190302.html
  [22] archivepix.html
  [23] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [24] lib/aptree.html
  [25] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apo...
  [26] calendar/allyears.html
  [27] /apod.rss
  [28] lib/edlinks.html
  [29] lib/about_apod.html
  [30] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?dat...
  [31] ap190304.html
  [32] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [33] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [34] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnel...
  [35] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [36] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [37] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Priv...
  [38] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [39] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [40] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [41] http://www.mtu.edu/

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