NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Life and Death in the Cosmos

The Spitzer Space telescope captured this stunning image of the star-forming nebula called Henize 206, which sits just outside our own Milky Way galaxy, in a satellite galaxy 163,000 light-years away called the Large Magellanic Cloud. As in other star-forming nebulas, the stars here arose when a supernova explosion sent shock waves through surrounding clouds of gas and dust.

The new Spitzer picture provides a detailed snapshot of this universal phenomenon. By imaging Henize 206 in the infrared, Spitzer was able to see through blankets of dust that dominate visible light views.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

+ Web Feature: One Star's Death Means Life for Many
+ High Resolution Photo from Planetary Photojournal
+ Spitzer Space Telescope Web Site