NASA Hubble Space Telescope captures mesmerizing images of Cosmic Reef

Yet again, NASA has mesmerized the world with its beautiful images of the space glories. The NASA Hubble space telescope is known for studying and capturing images of celestial objects that are present in our galaxy and beyond. Over the years, we have seen its abilities and despite being an observer of the near space for decades, it continues to bring breathtaking images to us. Recently NASA shared images of a giant red nebula (NGC 2014) alongside its smaller blue companion (NGC 2020), which looks like a cosmic reef against the vast backdrop of the dark space. Check what the image captured by Hubble demonstrates.

NASA Hubble Space Telescope’s new findings

NASA, through its official Instagram account, shared mesmerizing images of two neighbouring red nebulas which were captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. These nebulas are part of a star-forming region which is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud also known as a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. The nebulas are located 163,000 light-years away which also demonstrates the capabilities of the Hubble Telescope. The image is nicknamed “Cosmic Reef,” because the nebulas resemble an undersea world.

According to a NASA report, the stars in the central part of the image are 10 to 20 times bigger in size than our Sun. Their intense radiation is responsible for heating the dense gases in their vicinity. NASA said, “Their intense radiation heats surrounding dense gases like oxygen seen in light blue to 20,000°F (11,000°C). Hydrogen and nitrogen are relatively cooler in temperature and are seen in red.”

The image shared by NASA can be split into two for better understanding. NASA’s Instagram post describes it as “The lower-left corner reveals a striking blue ring that softly fades from different directions and encircles a small blue dot at its center. A cosmic canvas of red and orange gas ripples and its hues contrast with the space. Within the sea, a pale blue core emerges, and its surface contains several brilliant white stars. In the upper-right corner, a dark blue gas emerges from the cosmic void which provides a mesmerizing cosmic sight”.

Such images help us understand that there are so many things present in the universe that should be studied and understood. Our galaxy is filled with mysteries and the new technologies are helping to crack them all.