This is the x-ray image.
You may also see images at other wavelengths by clicking on the colorbar at a point above any of the dashed arrows (which point to other regions of the spectrum at which images are available). The solid arrow shows the spectral region you are seeing now. This is not intended to be a linear scale in wavelength, but only a rough guide to the wavelength of the observation.
This group of stars is a small star forming aggregate in the southern part of the L1641 molecular cloud. It was initially studied by Cohen and Kuhi in 1979 in their monumental study of the then known pre-main-sequence stars in the local neighborhood. It has since been studied by Strom, Strom and Merrill in their infrared imaging study of L1641. Further work on this group was done by Lori Allen in her Ph.D. thesis.
This image was made with the ROSAT PSPC (position sensitive proportional counter) detector at soft x-ray wavelengths. The stars visible in this image are V380 Ori (top center), the Cohen-Schwartz star and another star to the east of V380 Ori. X-ray emission from pre-main-sequence stars is generally due to radiation from million degree gas confined in magnetic field loops above the surface of the star. A similar phenomon is seen on the Sun, called coronal loops. The x-ray emission from pre-main-sequence stars is sointense because the radii of pre-main-sequence stars are much larger than that of the Sun, therefore the surface area of these stars is much larger.
If you wish more information about these images, a page is available for your perusal. You may also return to the overview page.
References
Cohen, M.H. & Kuhi, L.V. 1979, ApJ Suppl, 41, 743
Strom, K.M., Strom, S.E. & Merrill, K.M. 1993, ApJ, 412, 233
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© 2000
CO map