X-Rays from M17
About 5,000
light-years
away, toward the constellation Sagittarius
and the center of our galaxy,
lies the bright star forming region
cataloged as M17.
In visible light, M17's bowed and hollowed-out appearance has resulted in
many popular names
like the Horseshoe, Swan, Omega, and Lobster
nebula.
But what has
sculpted this glowing gas cloud?
This
Chandra
Observatory image of x-rays from M17 provides a clue.
Many massive young stars are responsible for the pink
central region of the false-color
x-ray picture, their colliding
stellar winds producing the
multimillion
degree gas cloud
which extends ten or so light-years to the left.
When compared
with visible light images,
this x-ray hot cloud is partly surrounded by the nebula's cooler gas.
In fact, having carved out a central cavity
the hot gas seems to be flowing out of the horseshoe
shape like champagne from an uncorked bottle ...
suggesting yet another name for star forming
region M17.