Star Formation in Berkeley 87
Combined infrared and X-ray image of the region ON 2. This region is a site of active star formation, with new massive stars being born within the glowing clouds of gas and dust, as revealed by the Spitzer infrared telescope (red and green). New observations with the XMM-Newton telescope show that extended X-ray emission (blue) traces the stellar cradles. In a paper that was published in The Astrophysical Journal, this X-ray emission is explained by the interaction between accelerated particles and magnetic fields present in ON 2.
Image: L. M. Oskinova, R. A. Gruendl, Spitzer Space Telescope, JPL, NASA and ESA. [high-resolution]
Caption: ESA