Astronomy Picture of the Day——NGC 7129与NGC 7142

NGC 7129 and NGC 7142 
Image Credit & Copyright: Steve Cannistra

Explanation: This wide-field telescopic image looks toward the constellation Cepheus and an intriguing visual pairing of dusty reflection nebula NGC 7129 (right) and open star cluster NGC 7142. The two appear separated by only half a degree on the sky, but they actually lie at quite different distances. In the foreground, dusty nebula NGC 7129 is about 3,000 light-years distant, while open cluster NGC 7142 is likely over 6,000 light-years away. In fact, pervasive and clumpy foreground dust clouds in this region redden the light from NGC 7142, complicating astronomical explorations of the cluster. Still, NGC 7142 is thought to be an older open star cluster, while the bright stars embedded in NGC 7129 are perhaps a few million years young. The telltale reddish crescent shapes around NGC 7129 are associated with energetic jets streaming away from newborn stars.

NGC 7129与NGC 7142

这幅用广角镜头望远镜朝仙王座方向拍摄的影像呈现了一对引人注目的天体，它们分别是满是尘埃的发射星云NGC7129（影像右侧）和疏散星团NGC7142。这两个天体看起来在天空中只隔半度远，但它们的实际距离相当遥远。在影像前景中，发射星云NGC7129距离地球约3千光年，而疏散星团NGC 7142距离地球可能超过了6千光年。实际上，该区域中弥漫的前景尘埃云会使NGC7142发出的光变红，并使星团的天文探索变得复杂。不过，NGC 7142被认为是一个老年疏散星团，而NGC 7129内明亮恒星的年龄只有数百万年。NGC7129周围的红色新月状结构与新生恒星喷发的高能喷流有关。

高清原图地址：

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1908/ngc7129largerCannistra.jpg

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