Image of the Day:
Flame Nebula (NGC 2024)
Flame Nebula (NGC 2024), the star-forming region in the constellation of Orion (the Hunter), and its surroundings are shown in this infrared light image released by VISTA, reportedly the world’s largest survey telescope. Image shows the cluster of very young stars at the object’s heart. “The wide-field VISTA view also includes the glow of the reflection nebula NGC 2023, just below centre, and the ghostly outline of the Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) towards the lower right. The bright bluish star towards the right is one of the three bright stars forming the Belt of Orion.” Source: ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA.
VISTA ― the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy ― is the newest telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in northern Chile.
