#ngc3576

NGC3576 The Statue of Liberty Nebula

Located approx. 9000ly away is the nebula NGC3576. The nebula is said to resemble the Statue of Liberty and is approx. 100ly across.

The RGB image was processed from data provided by iTelescope and has a total integration time of 180 minutes. It is comprised of RGB subs each with a 600 second exposure.

NGC 3576

NGC 3576 is a nebula located about 9,000 light years away in the Sagittarius arm of the Milky Way, towards the constellation Carina. It is about 100 light years across, and is shaped by young, massive stars at its heart.

Periods of star formation have also had an effect on the gas and dust of the nebula. Stellar winds from the young stars sculpt the surrounding material, and ultraviolet radiation ionizes nearby gases, causing the nebula to glow. Dense clouds of dust may be the sight of future star formation.

NGC 3576

NGC 3576 is a star forming region located about 9,000 light years away towards the constellation Carina. It is about 100 light years across and shaped by powerful winds from its young star clusters. The area is rather dense, with not enough young stars found to explain its brightness. But, ionized gas flows, visible bubbles in the nebula, and X-ray data indicate that a star cluster hidden by the dense dust is emitting powerful stellar winds.

The nebula is also and HII region, where stars form from clouds of hydrogen gas. These form young, hot, massive stars that ionize the surrounding gas with high amounts of ultraviolet radiation. By ionizing the gas, the stars cause the nebula to glow, as atoms are stripped of their electrons, emitting light upon recombining.