Explanation:
Do you recognize the constellation Orion?
This striking but unfamiliar looking picture of the familiar Orion region of the sky was produced using survey data
from the now-defunct
InfraRed Astronomical Satellite (IRAS).
The above image
combines information recorded at three different invisible
infrared wavelengths and covers about 30x24 degrees on the sky.
Most of Orion's visually impressive stars
don't stand out, but bright
Betelgeuse
does appear as a small bright purplish dot on the lower left.
The bright region on the right contains the
Great Nebula in Orion,
while the bright region just above the image bottom is the
Rosette Nebula.
Surrounding these regions
are a jumble of chaotic glowing gas and
dark dust
jettisoned by stars forming and exploding over millions of years.
