Explanation:
X-rays from
young stars and
infrared light
from stars and cosmic dust are combined in this false color image
of a star-forming region in Corona Australis,
the Southern Crown.
The small star grouping is
fittingly known as the
Coronet Cluster.
A mere 420 light-years distant, the
Coronet
Cluster offers
a relatively close-up view of stars and protostars
evolving with a wide range of masses.
The observations suggest that energetic
x-rays come from the
hot, extended stellar atmospheres or
coronae of the
Coronet stars.
The tantalizing multi-wavelength view spans about 2 light-years
and was produced using data from the orbiting
Chandra
Observatory (x-ray) and the
Spitzer
Space Telescope (infrared).
