The Hubble Space Telescope is responsible for many space sightings and images. Once again, it has caught a glimpse of a nebula that seems to look like a keyhole. The keyhole seen in the photo is a reflection of nebula NGC 1999.
It was released by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) on October 24. It shows a cosmic formation made by a swirling cloud of gas and dust. The ESA stated that it that the nebula was a relic of a star's formation, namely V380 Orion.
The Cosmic Keyhole
Initially, the nebula was thought to be a dark central region called "Bok globule." A globule is a cold cloud of gas, dust, and other molecules. They can be so dense that light won't be able to pass through. After astronomers observed that space phenomenon, they discovered that it was actually just empty space. They used a collection of telescopes including the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory.
The twinkle adjacent to the keyhole is actually the newborn star, V380 Orion, illuminating it from behind the clouds. The new star is roughly 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is twice hotter than our sun. Its surface's heat is so extreme that it emanates a bright white light, and is estimated at 3.5 stellar masses.
The nebula is coles to the Orion Nebula, as mentioned on Space.com. It is an active star-forming region of the Milky Way, which is 1,500 light-years away. The image was created using the Hubble Wide Field Planetary Camera 2's archival data.
Using a mix of ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared sensors, the image was constructed. Only the infrared sensor is the only sensor that can see through the clouds of dust, making it possible to detect the stars within or behind the nebula.
According to ESA/Hubble, these are the coordinates for the nebula used by the space telescope:
Position (RA): 5 36 24.75
Position (Dec): -6° 42' 52.65"
Field of View: 2.78 x 2.97 arcminutes
Orientation: North is 24.8° right of vertical
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Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2
The camera that made the image possible was not the Hubble's first, hence, it is labeled "2." According to NASA, it is also called the camera that saved the Hubble Space Telescope. The Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) was installed in December 1993 by astronauts, as a second-generation version.
The first Wide Field and Planetary Camera that came with the Hubble Space Telescope didn't work as intended. The initial camera was not able to focus correctly, which was caused by a small error in the curvature of the space telescope's main mirror.
In May 2009, the WFPC2 was brought back to Earth, and replaced by a more advanced imaging system. It is now displayed in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington. Before the camera was retired, it operated for more than 25 years. In all those years, it had produced more than 135,000 photos from the universe.
Related: What's the First Ever Photo That the Hubble Space Telescope Ever Took?
