                         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 February 27
                                      [2]
                                Magnetic Orion
  Image Credit & Copyright: NASA [3] , SOFIA [4] , D. Chuss [5]  et al. & ESO
                       [6] , M. McCaughrean [7]  et al.

Explanation: Can magnetism affect how stars form? Recent analysis [8]  of
Orion data from the HAWC+ instrument [9]  on the airborne [10] SOFIA
observatory [11] indicate that, at times, it can. HAWC+ is able to measure the
polarization [12]  of far- infrared light [13]  which can reveal the alignment
of dust grains [14]  by expansive ambient magnetic fields [15] . In the
featured image [16] , these magnetic fields are shown as curvy lines
superposed on an infrared image [17]  of the Orion Nebula [18]  taken by a
Very Large [19] Telescope [20]  in Chile [21] . Orion's Kleinmann-Low Nebula
[22]  is visible slightly to the upper right of the image center, while bright
stars of the Trapezium cluster [23] are visible just to the lower left of
center. The Orion Nebula [24]  at about l300 light years [25]  distant is the
nearest major star formation [26]  region to the Sun [27] .

                        Tomorrow's picture: open space

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [39] (MTU [40] ) & Jerry Bonnell [41]
                                  (UMCP [42] )
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              A service of: ASD [45]  at NASA [46]  / GSFC [47]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1902/MagneticOrion_EsoSofia_1833.jpg
  [3] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [4] https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/SOFIA/overview/index.html
  [5] http://www62.homepage.villanova.edu/david.chuss/
  [6] https://www.eso.org/public/
  [7] https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacegovuk/7195806928
  [8] https://arxiv.org/abs/1810.08233
  [9]
https://www.nasa.gov/ames/image-feature/one-of-a-kind-camera-added-to-sofia
  [10]
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/sofiaoversierra.jpg
  [11] https://www.sofia.usra.edu/
  [12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polarization_(waves)
  [13] https://science.nasa.gov/ems/07_infraredwaves
  [14] ap030706.html
  [15] ap150127.html
  [16]
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/
sofia-uncovers-clues-to-the-evolution-of-universe-and-search-for-life
  [17] ap010130.html
  [18] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f32nnwgii4M
  [19] https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/
  [20] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ8ZvTr17Yw
  [21] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile
  [22] ap990302.html
  [23] ap180805.html
  [24] ap190102.html
  [25] https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question19.html
  [26]
https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve
  [27] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/in-depth/
  [28] ap190226.html
  [29] archivepix.html
  [30] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [31] lib/aptree.html
  [32] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [33] calendar/allyears.html
  [34] /apod.rss
  [35] lib/edlinks.html
  [36] lib/about_apod.html
  [37] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=190227
  [38] ap190228.html
  [39] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [40] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [41] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [42] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [43] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [44] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [45] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [46] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [47] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [48] http://www.mtu.edu/
