Astronomy Picture of the Day: 12/02/13 - NGC 6914

This lovely area is NGC 6914, which is located more than 6,000 light-years away in the constellation by the name of Cygnus. (It can be found near the plane of our Milky Way galaxy)

The complex star-forming region has two designated nebulae. First, we have an emission nebula (seen in the pinkish-red areas), which are created when young stars spew large quantities of ultraviolet radiation into their surrounding environment. This ultraviolet radiation excites the hydrogen gas molecules, causing them to become ionized. In turn, this ionization is responsible for powering the nebula, allowing them to glow brilliantly.

Secondly, we have a reflection nebula, which is depicted in blue. Nebulae of this type are created when light from embedded stars bounce off of tiny grains of interstellar dust. This causes the light to scatter about. Nebulae such as this tend to be blue, as the bluer end of the electromagnetic spectrum scatters light more effectively than red.

Sources & Further Reading: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/astronomy-picture-of-the-day-120213-ngc-6914/

Image Credit: Descubre Foundation, CAHA, OAUV, DSA, Vicent Peris (OAUV), Jack Harvey (SSRO), Juan Conejero (PixInsight)