Explanation:
This close-up view
shows a portion of otherwise faint emission nebula
IC 410 in striking false-colors.
It also shows two remarkable denizens of the glowing gas
cloud at the right - the
"tadpoles"of IC 410.
The picture is a
composite
of images taken through
narrow band filters intended to
trace atoms in the nebula.
Emission from sulfur atoms is shown in red, hydrogen atoms
in green, and oxygen in blue.
Partly obscured by foreground dust,
the nebula
itself surrounds
NGC 1893, a young
galactic cluster of stars that energizes the glowing gas.
Composed of denser, cooler gas and dust, the tadpoles
are around 10 light-years long.
Sculpted by
wind and radiation from the cluster stars,
their tails trail away from the cluster's central region.
IC 410 lies some 12,000 light-years away, toward the
constellation
Auriga.
At that distance, this image spans about 70 light-years.
