2-Channel RCW 49

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About the Image

About the Object

Color Mapping

Astrometrics

Position (J2000): RA = 10^h 23^m 57.2^s; Dec = -57° 45' 9.0"
Field of View: 30.4 x 30.4 arcminutes
Orientation: North is 32.3° right of vertical
Constellation: Carina

Recent News

12.24.08

This image of prolific star-forming region RCW 49 exposes breathtaking detail of this dark and dusty region, which is home to more than 2,200 stars. Shown here in two channels, 3.6 microns mapped as cyan and 4.5 microns mapped as red, dusty organic molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) glow in the warmth of the starlight. At 4.5 microns, hot hydrogen gas glows very brightly, much like a neon light glowing in visible light, and can be prominently seen in the image.

Band	Wavelength	Telescope
Infrared	3.6 µm	Spitzer IRAC
Infrared	4.5 µm	Spitzer IRAC

	May 16 Galaxy's Ring of Fire
	May 6 NASA's Spitzer Puts Planets in a Petri Dish
	April 3 A Confetti-Like Collection of Stars
	February 7 NASA Telescopes Discover Strobe-like Flashes
	January 8 NASA Telescopes See Weather Patterns in Brown Dwarf
	January 8 NASA, ESA Telescopes Find Evidence For Asteroid Belt Around Vega

	May 16 Galactic Wheels within Wheels
	May 6 An Astronomer's Fantasy: Planets in the Lab
	April 3 Taken Under the "Wing" of the Small Magellanic Cloud
	March 19 Infant Stars Peek Out from Dusty Cradles
	February 8 Strobe-like Flashes Discovered in a Suspected Binary Protostar