Explanation:
The cosmic
brush
of star formation
composed
this alluring mix of dust and dark nebulae.
Cataloged as Sh2-239 and
LDN 1551,
the region lies near the
southern end of the
Taurus molecular cloud complex some
450 light-years distant.
Stretching for nearly 3 light-years, the canvas abounds with
signs of embedded young stellar objects driving
dynamic outflows into the surrounding medium.
Included near the center of the frame, a compact, tell-tale red
jet of shocked hydrogen gas is near the position of infrared source
IRS5, known to be a
system of protostars
surrounded by dust disks.
Just below it are the broader, brighter wings of HH 102, one
of
the region's many Herbig-Haro objects, nebulosities associated with
newly born stars.
Estimates indicate that the
star forming LDN
1551 region contains a total amount of material
equivalent to about 50 times the mass of the Sun.
