Smithsonian Insider – astrophysics

As Stars Form, Magnetic Fields Influence Regions Big and Small

30 March 2015

$The Cat's Paw Nebula, also known as NGC 6334, comes alive in this infrared image from the Spitzer Space Telescope. A new study of this nebula finds that magnetic fields influence star formation on a variety of scales, from hundreds of light-years down to a fraction of a light-year. In this representative-color photo red shows light at a wavelength of 8 microns, green is 4.5 microns, and blue is 3.6 microns. (Image credit: S. Willis, CfA & NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSC)$

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