BFS 29 Nebula Surrounding CE-Camelopardalis
NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, captured this colorful image of the nebula BFS 29 surrounding the star CE-Camelopardalis, found hovering in the band of the night sky comprising the Milky Way. Most of the gas and dust in this image cannot be seen directly in visible light, but WISE's detectors revealed exquisite new details, and even some hidden stars. The nebulous interstellar gas and dust in this image is known as BFS 29. In visible light, BFS 29 can be seen, but only very slightly. This is because the dust scatters and reflects some of the light from nearby stars, hence its classification as a reflection nebula. CE-Camelopardalis is a variable supergiant star, which means it will eventually end its life in a supernova, likely leaving behind a black hole. It is near the giraffe's hind foot, making a sort of ankle bracelet, as compared to the emerald necklace featured in the Nov. 9, 2010 image. All four of WISE's infrared detectors were used to make this image.
Size: 3600px × 2843px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 29, astronomical, astronomy, avedisova, bfs, body, camelopardalis, ce-camelopardalis, celestial, cloud, constellation, deep, detectors, explorer, formation, heavenly, infrared, interstellar, mission, nebula, nebulae, object, reflection, region, science, sky, space, star, star-forming, supergiant, surrounding, survey, variable, wide-field, wise
