RCW 49

RCW 49
Emission nebula
H II region
RCW 49 by the Spitzer Space Telescope
Observation data: J2000.0[1] epoch
Right ascension10h 24m 14.6s [1]
Declination−57° 46′ 58″ [1]
Distance13,700 ly
ConstellationCarina
Physical characteristics
Radius150-200 ly
DesignationsRCW 49, GUM 29, NGC 3247
See also: Lists of nebulae

RCW 49, also known as NGC 3247, is a H II region[1] nebula located 13,700 light years away.[2] Other designations for the RCW 49 region include NGC 3247 and G29[3] and it is commonly known as the Whirling Dervish Nebula.[4] It is a dusty stellar nursery that contains more than 2,200 stars[2] and is about 300-400 light years across.[5] RCW 49 is recognized as among the brightest and most massive HII regions.[6]

The Gum 29 Nebula (right side), containing Westerlund 2. On the upper-left side is the star cluster IC 2581.

In 2004, a 2003 image by the Spitzer Space Telescope was released showing the nebula in infrared wavelengths.[2] This included an image showing the infrared colors mapped to visible light colors: 3.6 microns (blue), 4.5 microns (green), 5.8 microns (orange) and 8 microns (red).[2] It was noted as being almost 14 thousand light years from Earth, and the infrared camera could detect the stars obscured by dust clouds.[2] It was estimated at least 200 of the stars in the nebula have dust disks.[7]

The results of observations of the Spitzer Telescope, including the IRAC camera, have been studied leading to the conclusion that the region is a star-forming region.[6] In 2014, RCW 49 was identified as a bow shock candidate, along with M17 in a study of Extended Red Objects (ERO's) and Stellar Wind Bow Shocks in the Carina nebula.[8]

  1. ^ a b c d SIMBAD, RCW 49 (accessed 4 April 2012)
  2. ^ a b c d e "Star Formation in RCW 49". NASA Spitzer Space Telescope. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  3. ^ Lang, Kenneth R. (2012-12-06). Astrophysical Data: Planets and Stars. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9781468406405.
  4. ^ Chadwick, Stephen; Cooper, Ian (11 December 2012). Imaging the Southern Sky. Springer. p. 77. ISBN 978-1461447498.
  5. ^ "A novel type of source? Gamma rays from the vicinity of the Wolf-Rayet binary WR 20a". H.E.S.S. High Energy Stereoscopic System. 2006. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  6. ^ a b Whitney, B. A.; Indebetouw, R.; Babler, B. L.; Meade, M. R.; Watson, C.; Wolff, M. J.; Wolfire, M. G.; Clemens, D. P.; Bania, T. M.; Benjamin, R. A.; Cohen, M.; Devine, K. E.; Dickey, J. M.; Heitsch, F.; Jackson, J. M. (2004). "A GLIMPSE of Star Formation in the Giant H ii Region RCW 49". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 154 (1): 315–321. doi:10.1086/422557. ISSN 0067-0049. S2CID 5299205.
  7. ^ "An "Impossibly" Young Planet?". Sky & Telescope. 2004-06-14. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  8. ^ Sexton, Remington O.; Povich, Matthew S.; Smith, Nathan; Babler, Brian L.; Meade, Marilyn R.; Rudolph, Alexander L. (2015-01-01). "Extended Red Objects and Stellar Wind Bow Shocks in the Carina Nebula". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 446 (1): 1047–1059. arXiv:1410.3518. Bibcode:2015MNRAS.446.1047S. doi:10.1093/mnras/stu2143. ISSN 1365-2966.