Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]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. 2024 July 2 [2]A star cluster is shown in and around a gas cloud that looks like an oyster. The rollover image shows the same cluster not only in visible light, but X-ray and infrared too. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. NGC 602: Oyster Star Cluster Image Credit: X-ray: Chandra: NASA/CXC/Univ.Potsdam/L.Oskinova et al; Optical: Hubble: NASA/STScI; Infrared: Spitzer: NASA/JPL-Caltech Explanation: The clouds may look like an oyster, and the stars like pearls, but look beyond. Near the outskirts of the [3]Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy some 200 thousand light-years distant, lies this 5 million year [4]old star cluster [5]NGC 602. Surrounded by its birth shell of gas and dust, star cluster [6]NGC 602 is featured in this [7]stunning Hubble image, augmented in a rollover by images in the [8]X-ray by the [9]Chandra Observatory and in the [10]infrared by [11]Spitzer Telescope. [12]Fantastic ridges and swept back gas strongly suggest that [13]energetic radiation and [14]shock waves from [15]NGC 602's massive young stars have eroded the [16]dusty material and triggered a progression of [17]star formation moving away from the star cluster's center. At the estimated distance of the [18]Small Magellanic Cloud, the [19]featured picture spans about 200 light-years, but a [20]tantalizing assortment of background galaxies are also visible in [21]this sharp view. The [22]background galaxies are hundreds of millions of light-years -- or more -- [23]beyond NGC 602. Tomorrow's picture: open space __________________________________________________________________ [24]< | [25]Archive | [26]Submissions | [27]Index | [28]Search | [29]Calendar | [30]RSS | [31]Education | [32]About APOD | [33]Discuss | [34]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [35]Robert Nemiroff ([36]MTU) & [37]Jerry Bonnell ([38]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [39]Specific rights apply. [40]NASA Web Privacy, [41]Accessibility, [42]Notices; A service of: [43]ASD at [44]NASA / [45]GSFC, [46]NASA Science Activation & [47]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2407/Ngc602_ChandraHubbleSpitzer_3600.jpg 3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210105.html 4. https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stars/ 5. https://youtu.be/LpQgKX1fGxQ 6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_602 7. https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2007/news-2007-04.html 8. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/11_xrays/ 9. https://www.nasa.gov/mission/chandra-x-ray-observatory/ 10. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/07_infraredwaves/ 11. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/spitzer/ 12. https://i.pinimg.com/474x/9d/a6/41/9da64199c08de5d023a91f52ac404273.jpg 13. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/10_ultravioletwaves/ 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240104.html 15. https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/videos/2007/04/539-Video.html 16. https://youtu.be/jn5M48MVWyg 17. https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230211.html 19. https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/2007/04/2042-Image.html 20. https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/videos/2007/04/539-Video.html 21. http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2013/ngc602/ 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210802.html 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150307.html 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240701.html 25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 30. https://apod.com/feed.rss 31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 33. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=240702 34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240703.html 35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 36. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 37. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 38. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 40. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 41. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 42. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/ 43. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 44. https://www.nasa.gov/ 45. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 46. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 47. http://www.mtu.edu/