RCW 49, also known as NGC 3247, is a
H II region[SIMBAD]
RCW 49
(accessed 4 April 2012) nebula located 13,700
light years away.
Other designations for the
RCW 49 region include
NGC 3247 and G29
and it is commonly known as the Whirling Dervish Nebula. It is a dusty
stellar nursery that contains more than 2,200 stars
and is about 300-400 light years across.
RCW 49 is recognized as among the brightest and most massive HII regions.
In 2004, a 2003 image by the
Spitzer Space Telescope was released showing the nebula in
infrared wavelengths.
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).
It was noted as being almost 14 thousand light years from Earth, and the infrared camera could detect the stars obscured by dust clouds.
It was estimated at least 200 of the stars in the nebula have dust disks.
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.
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.
See also
*
RCW Catalogue
*
Gum Catalog
References
External links
*
*
*
*
Constellation Guide Westerlund 2 and Gum 29
{{DEFAULTSORT:RCW 49
Carina (constellation)
H II regions
Star-forming regions