Astronomy Picture of the Day
                                      
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                              August 23, 1997
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                     A Star Forming Region in the LMC 
   Credit: C. Smith (U. Michigan), Curtis Schmidt Telescope, CTIO, Chile
                                      
   Explanation: Stars sometimes form in colorful ways. Pictured above is
   a small region in the nearby LMC galaxy where stars are forming. After
   a star is born, it may do several things to energize its immediate
   neighborhood. It may develop a strong wind which pushes away nearby
   gas; it may be so hot and intense that emitted light boils away nearby
   dust and gas, and it may be so massive that it soon goes supernova and
   catapults its elements back to the interstellar medium. Astronomers
   study regions like this - named DEM192 - to better understand how
   these and other processes proceed. This picture is a composite of
   three separate photographs, each sensitive to only one specific color
   of light - a color that distinguishes a specific chemical element.
   
             Tomorrow's picture: The Snake Nebula in Ophiuchus
                                      
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      Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
          NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
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