Star Formation in the DR21 Region - Star Formation in the DR21 Region - This...

Star Formation in the DR21 Region - Star Formation in the DR21 Region - This star-forming region is about 6200 years old - light. Hidden in light visible by interstellar dust, this region rises in infrared light. Gas filaments appear in red; they emphasize the presence of aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAH); they are organic molecules composed of carbon atoms and hydrogen that could be the germs on which the first bricks of life appeared. Image obtained by the Spitzer space telescope in 2003. Hidden behind a shroud of dust in the constellation Cygnus is a stellar nursery called DR21, which is giving birth to some of the most massive stars in our galaxy. Visible light images reveal no trace of this interstellar cauldron because of heavy dust obscuration. This image from Nasa's Spitzer Space Telescope allow us to peek behind the cosmic veil and pinpoint one of the most massive natal stars yet seen in our Milky Way galaxy. The never - before - seen star is 100,000 times as bright as the Sun. Also revealed for the first time is a powerful outflow of hot gas emanating from this star and bursting through a giant molecular cloud. The image is a large - scale mosaic assembled from individual photographs obtained with the Infraared Array Camera (IRAC) aboard Spitzer. The image covers an area about two times that of a full moon. The mosaic is a composite of images obtained at mid - infrared wavelengths of 3.6 microns (blue), 4.5 microns (green), 5.8 microns (orange) and 8 microns (red). The brightest infrared cloud near the top center corresponds to DR21, which presumably contains a cluster of newly forming stars at a distance of 10,000 light - years. Protruding out from DR21 toward the bottom left of the image is a gaseous outflow (green), containing both carbon monoxide and molecular hydrogen. Data from the Spitzer spectrograph, which breaks light into its constitutes