| Emission nebula | |
|---|---|
 Infrared image from theSpitzer Space Telescope | |
| Observation data:J2000epoch | |
| Right ascension | 12h 11m 27.5s[1] |
| Declination | −62° 55′ 10″[1] |
| Distance | 32,000 ly (9,700[2] pc) |
| Constellation | Crux |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 130′[1] |
| Designations | GAL 298.4-00.4[1] |
| See also:Lists of nebulae | |
TheDragonfish Nebula, as it is known for itsappearance oninfrared images, is a massiveemission nebula andstar-forming region 30,000light-years from theSun in the direction of theconstellationCrux, the Southern Cross.[3]
The Dragonfish Nebula gets its name from a giant toothy fish known as thedeep-sea dragonfish. The giant stars in this nebula blow a bubble in the surrounding gas. This bubble is over 100 light-years long and forms the mouth of the dragonfish. The two largest and luminous stars, which form its eyes, are said to be newly formed stars. The stars heat up the surrounding gas, giving off infrared light. The Dragonfish Nebula contains some of the most massive stars in the Milky Way galaxy.[4]
This nebula was first discovered in 2010 by Mubdi Rahman and Norman Murray from theUniversity of Toronto. They discovered a cloud of ionized gas which led them to suspect that it was formed from the radiation of nearby stars. Since then more than four hundred stars have been found and there is reason to believe that many smaller stars are hiding in the cluster. The ionized gas around this cluster produces more microwaves than most clusters in our galaxy, making the Dragonfish Nebula the brightest and most massive cluster discovered so far.[5]
Due to its distance and location, it is totally invisible invisible light because theinterstellar dust absorbs and reddens its light, hiding it. So in order to study it,wavelengths that are not affected, likeinfrared, are required.
Research done with the help of theSpitzer Space Telescope has shown this object has a size of 450 light-years, having a large cavity with a diameter of 100 light-years that was created by the strongstellar winds of the young and massive stars inside it.[3]
As of 2011, approximately 400 stars ofspectral typesO andB have been identified within the nebula.[2] Subsequent studies have confirmed not only at least 15 O-type stars but also 3luminous blue variable/Wolf–Rayet star candidates. They also have calculated the total mass of the stars associated with the Dragonfish nebula as 105 solar masses, a mass only comparable with that of thesuper star clusterWesterlund 1, the most massiveOB association and the brightest nebula known inour galaxy.[6]
