Astr110 Photography Projects, Spring 2006

NGC 2023, Lucas Koole

"This nebula is actually surrounding a large B type star. This star is a distance of 1600 light years from the sun. B type stars typically have a surface temperature somewhere in the range of 11,000 - 25,000 Kelvin. In comparison the sun has a temperature of 5,000 Kelvin. This star forming region has a particle density of 5000 particles per cubic centimeter. The interstellar medium (the space between stars) within our own galaxy averages 1 particle per cubic centimeter. Compare that with air near the surface of the Earth which averages 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 molecules per cubic centimeter!" (Adam Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF).

More information could be found in the catalog of John Herschel.

There is a certain beauty in being regular and mysterious...

References:
http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/n2023.html

http://www.ngcic.org/