Here, we take a look at a small sliver of the environment surrounding the famous Jellyfish Nebula (otherwise known as IC 443), which lurks around 5,000 light-years from Earth in the Gemini constellation. This section, often referred to as IC 444, is a small reflection nebula (The Jellyfish Nebula can’t directly be seen in this image — it’s located to the east).
Not too much information is available online, but Adam Block — a notable astrophotographer from the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter, who took this image — notes:
“Few things are more informative or compelling than contrast. The ability to see the predator about to eat you, the signage on the roadway or the darkening clouds on the horizon may very well be key to your survival. It is no wonder then that when we find contrasting forms and colors in nature we pause and admire them. The field of IC 444, a little-studied region, gives us the contrast we crave.”
“Like fire and ice here we have something sculpted and something tenuous- with the warm and cool colors of better known objects such as the Trifid nebula. The blue veil sparkles due to scattered light from dust and clouds of hydrogen gas glow red from the radiation of newly formed stars.”
[Reference: University of Arizona’s SkyCenter]
See a larger image here.
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All images courtesy of Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona