NASA Spitzer Space Telescope infrared image of Cygnus region of the sky
This infrared picture shows a cloud, known as DR22, bursting with new stars in the Cygnus region of the sky. Spitzer's infrared eyes can both see through and see dust, giving it a unique view into star-forming nests. The blue areas are dusty clouds, and the orange is mainly hot gas. This image is one of the first to be taken during Spitzer's warm mission -- a new phase that began after the telescope, which operated for more than five-and-a-half years, ran out of liquid coolant. The picture was snapped with the two infrared channels that still work at Spitzer's still-quite-chilly temperature of 30 Kelvin (about minus 406 Fahrenheit). The two infrared channels are part of Spitzer's infrared array camera: light is blue and light is orange. This picture was taken while the telescope was being re-commissioned, on July 21.
Size: 4500px × 3976px
Photo credit: © Dennis Hallinan / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: cygnus, dr22, nasa, region, space, spitzer, telescope
