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Stellar Jewels Shine in New Spitzer Image
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About this work
One of the most prolific birthing grounds in our Milky Way galaxy, a nebula called RCW 49, is exposed in superb detail for the first time in this new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Located 13,700 light-years away in the southern constellation Centaurus, RCW 49 is a dark and dusty stellar nursery that houses more than 2,200 stars. Because many of the stars in RCW 49 are deeply embedded in plumes of dust, they cannot be seen at visible wavelengths.
NASA Image and Video Library’s own descriptionCredit lineStellar Jewels Shine in New Spitzer Image. NASA/JPL, 2004-05-27. Public domain. ID: PIA05989.