                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

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

                              2023 February 19
   The field of filamentary dust is shown with different sections showing
   different colors. Stars dot the background. Please see the explanation
                       for more detailed information.

                       Seven Dusty Sisters in Infrared
     Image Credit: NASA, WISE, IRSA, Processing & Copyright : Francesco
                                  Antonucci

   Explanation: Is this really the famous Pleiades star cluster? Known for
   its iconic blue stars, the Pleiades is shown here in infrared light
   where the surrounding dust outshines the stars. Here three infrared
   colors have been mapped into visual colors (R=24, G=12, B=4.6 microns).
   The base images were taken by NASA's orbiting Wide Field Infrared
   Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft. Cataloged as M45 and nicknamed the
   Seven Sisters, the Pleiades star cluster is by chance situated in a
   passing dust cloud. The light and winds from the massive Pleiades stars
   preferentially repel smaller dust particles, causing the dust to become
   stratified into filaments, as seen. The featured image spans about 20
   light years at the distance of the Pleiades, which lies about 450 light
   years distant toward the constellation of the Bull (Taurus).

                    Tomorrow's picture: stars and streaks
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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