Serpent in the Sky: Nebula Sh2-54 (visible light) | ESO

Serpent in the Sky: Nebula Sh2-54 (visible light) | ESO

A visible-light image of the Sh2-54 nebula, captured by the VLT Survey Telescope at the European Southern Observatory Paranal Observatory in Chile. 

When the ancients looked up at the night sky they saw random patterns in the stars. The Greeks, for instance, named one of these “constellations” Serpens, because of its resemblance to a snake. What they would not have been able to see is that at the tail end of this constellation there is a wealth of stunning astronomical objects. These include the Eagle, the Omega and the Sh2-54 nebulae; the last of these is revealed in this visible-light image.

Nebulae are vast clouds of gas and dust from which stars are born. Telescopes have allowed astronomers to identify and analyze these rather faint objects in exquisite detail. The nebula shown here, located about 6,000 light-years away, is officially called Sh2-54; the “Sh” refers to the US astronomer Stewart Sharpless, who cataloged more than 300 nebulae in the 1950s.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Release Date: Jan. 4, 2023

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