From The European Southern Observatory
This image shows the RCW 108 complex of bright and dark nebulae in the southern association Ara OB1, a star-forming region in the constellation Ara (The Altar), deep in the southern sky. The Ara OB1 association contains many young and bright stars (of types O and B). It is located at a distance of about 4000 light-years (1.3 kpc) from the Sun. This photo covers an area of about 40 light-years across (approx. 12 pc x 12 pc) and includes most of RCW 108.
RCW 108 is a molecular cloud that is in the process of being destroyed by intense ultraviolet radiation from heavy and hot stars in the nearby stellar cluster NGC 6193, seen to the left . Most of this radiation comes from the bright object near the center of the image, which is actually a binary system composed of two O-type stars. The red glow that pervades the field is emission in the red Ha spectral line of hydrogen. It reveals a massive stream of gas that flows away from the molecular complex as it is being heated and ionized. The small bright patch with several stars near the darkest part of the nebulosity, to the right in the photos, is the infrared source IRAS 16362-4845. It is where a small cluster of stars is being formed at present.
Based on press release with ESO PR Photo 21a/99
Catalog #: Photo 21a/99
Target Name: A Star-Forming Region in Ara
Last modified on Sunday, December 17, 2000