Star Forming Region S106

Tags: Infrared Astronomy (210) Emission Nebula (93) Gas (26) Dust (302) Reflection Nebula (60) Constellation (34) Cygnus (47) Massive star (1) IRS 4 (1) Sharpless 2-106 Nebula (1) S106 (1) Brown Dwarf (3)

Massive star IRS 4 is beginning to spread its wings.

Born only about 100,000 years ago, material streaming out from this newborn star has formed the nebula dubbed Nebula Sharpless 2-106 Nebula (S106), featured here.

A large disk of Dust and Gas orbiting Infrared Source 4 (IRS 4), visible in brown near the image center, gives the nebula an hourglass or butterfly shape.

S106 gas near IRS 4 acts as an Emission Nebula as it emits light after being ionized, while dust far from IRS 4 reflects light from the central star and so acts as a Reflection Nebula.

Detailed inspection of a relevant Infrared Astronomy image of S106 reveal hundreds of low-mass brown dwarf stars lurking in the nebula’s gas.

S106 spans about 2 light-years and lies about 2000 light-years away toward the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus).