RCW 120 is an
emission nebula
An emission nebula is a nebula formed of ionized gases that emit light of various wavelengths. The most common source of ionization is high-energy ultraviolet photons emitted from a nearby hot star. Among the several different types of emission n ...
and
H II region
An H II region is a region of interstellar atomic hydrogen that is ionized. It is typically in a molecular cloud of partially ionized gas in which star formation has recently taken place, with a size ranging from one to hundreds of light year ...
in the southern Milky Way and located some 4,300 light-years from
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
.
Its designation appears in the
RCW Catalogue
The RCW Catalogue (from Rodgers, Campbell & Whiteoak) is an astronomical catalogue of Hα-emission H II region, regions in the southern Milky Way, described in . It contains 182 objects, including many of the earlier Gum catalogue (84 items) objec ...
published in 1960, whose circular diameter size is 6 arcmin.
It also catalogued as
Sh 2-3 and
Gum 58.
Veta S. Avedisova considers RCW 120 is being ionised by the O8 V star CD -38 11636 and places the nebula in the star formation region SFR 348.26+0.47 along with 3
Astrophysical maser
An astrophysical maser is a naturally occurring source of Stimulated emission, stimulated spectral line emission, typically in the microwave portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. This emission may arise in molecular clouds, comets, planetary at ...
CH87 347.386+0.266.
The
Herschel infra-red telescope's image shows an embryonic star that is likely to become one of the brightest stars in our Galaxy at some time within the next few hundred thousand years. The star now appears about ten times more massive than the Sun and may grow much larger by
accreting material from the surrounding gas and dust.
Gallery
File:Iotw2230a A Crimson Nursery.jpg,
External links
The Galactic HII Region RCW 120
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rcw 120
Emission nebulae
H II regions
Sharpless objects
Star-forming regions
Scorpius