Flight Through the Orion Nebula in Visible Light (Dome Version)

This version of "Flight Through the Orion Nebula in Visible Light" has been rendered onto a hemispherical format (azimuthal equidistant projection) for use in planetarium domes. The black circular mask in the images denotes the edge of the hemispherical dome projection. The video is for preview purposes. Planetariums will want to download the frames and the audio files (linked below).

This visualization explores the Orion Nebula as seen in visible-light observations from the Hubble Space Telescope. This movie is designed to be compared and contrasted against the companion movie using infrared-light observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope.

As the camera flies into the star-forming region, it reveals a glowing gaseous landscape that has been illuminated and carved by the high-energy radiation and strong stellar winds from the massive hot stars in the central cluster. The high-resolution visible observations show fine details including the wispy bow shocks and tadpole-shaped proplyds.

Credits:
Video: NASA, ESA, Frank Summers (STScI), Greg T. Bacon (STScI), Zolt G. Levay (STScI), Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Leah Hustak (STScI), Lisa Frattare (STScI), Massimo Robberto (STScI)

Acknowledgment: Robert Gendler

Music: Antonín Dvořák's "Serenade for Strings Op 22 in E Major larghetto”, performed by the Advent Chamber Orchestra, CC BY-SA