FrEGGy Friday

 FrEGGy Friday 👻 ✨⁣.

@NASAHubble is getting into the spirit with this image. A small region of the nebula Westerhout 5, which lies about 7,000 light-years from Earth. Bathed in bright red light, this glistening scene in red hosts a variety of interesting features, including free floating Evaporating Gaseous Globule (frEGG), one of which is pictured in the upper center-left region of the image. ⁣

FrEGGs are denser regions of gas that photoevaporate less than the dense gas surrounding them. Photoevaporation occurs when gas is ionized and dispersed away by an intense source of radiation – typically young, hot stars releasing huge amounts of ultraviolet (UV) light. FrEGGs opacity means that the gas within them is protected from ionization and photoevaporation – thought by astronomers to be important for the formation of protostars – making frEGGs possible hosts for the birth of new stars. ⁣

Image description: 

The background is filled with bright orange-red clouds of varying density. Towards the top-left, several large, pale blue stars with prominent cross-shaped spikes are scattered. A small, tadpole-shaped dark patch floats near one of these stars. More of the same dark, dense gas fills the lower-right, resembling black smoke. A bright yellow star and a smaller blue star shine in front of this.⁣

Credit: NASA, ESA/Hubble, R. Sahai⁣

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                          06 October 2023