HH-222 (The Waterfall Nebula)
HH-222 (Herbig-Haro 222) is commonly known as the Waterfall Nebula. It is located approximately 1,500 light-years from the Earth in the constellation Orion the Hunter. The origin of this interesting and picturesque nebula is a mystery and continues to be a baffling scientific problem. One theory is a possible binary system consisting of a white dwarf and a neutron star, or possibly a black hole, with a strong jet of radiation that produces the "waterfall" shape. Such a system should emit a large amount of X-rays. This has not been observed in the area of the nebula. For the time being, more observations and studies are needed to account for this beautiful celestial vista.
|
|