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NGC 281:
A Bustling Hub of Star Formation
NGC 281 is a bustling hub of star formation about 10,000 light years away. This composite image of optical and X-ray emission includes regions where new stars are forming and older regions containing stars about 3 million years old.
The optical data (seen in red, orange, and yellow) show a small open
cluster of stars, large lanes of obscuring gas and dust, and dense knots
where stars may still be forming. The X-ray data (purple), based on a
Chandra observation lasting more than a day, shows a different view. More
than 300 individual X-ray sources are seen, most of them associated with IC
1590, the central cluster. The edge-on aspect of NGC 281 allows scientists
to study the effects of powerful X-rays on the gas in the region, the raw
material for star formation.
A second group of X-ray sources is seen on either side of a dense molecular
cloud, known as NGC 281 West, a cool cloud of dust grains and gas, much of
which is in the form of molecules. The bulk of the sources around the
molecular cloud are coincident with emission from polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons, a family of organic molecules containing carbon and hydrogen.
There also appears to be cool diffuse gas associated with IC 1590 that
extends toward NGC 281 West. The X-ray spectrum of this region shows that
the gas is a few million degrees and contains significant amounts of
magnesium, sulfur and silicon. The presence of these elements suggests
that supernova recently went off in that area.
| Fast Facts for NGC 281: |
| Credit |
X-ray: NASA/CXC/CfA/S.Wolk et al; Optical: NSF/AURA/WIYN/Univ. of Alaska/T.A.Rector |
| Scale |
Image is
29 arcmin across. |
| Category |
Normal Stars & Star Clusters |
| Coordinates (J2000) |
RA 00h 52m 59.35s | Dec +56° 37' 18.8" |
| Constellation |
Cassiopeia |
| Observation Date |
3 pointings from November 10 - 12, 2005
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| Observation Time |
28 hours |
| Obs. ID |
5424, 7205-7206
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| Color Code |
X-ray (purple); Optical (red & yellow) |
| Instrument |
ACIS |
| Distance Estimate |
9,500 light years |
| Release Date |
November 15, 2007 |
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