RCW 49, also known as NGC 3247, is a H II region[1]nebula located 13,700 light years away.[2] Other designations for the RCW 49 region include NGC 3247 and G29[3] and it is commonly known as the Whirling Dervish Nebula.[4] It is a dusty stellar nursery that contains more than 2,200 stars[2] and is about 300-400 light years across.[5] RCW 49 is recognized as among the brightest and most massive HII regions.[6]
The Gum 29 Nebula (right side), containing Westerlund 2. On the upper-left side is the star cluster IC 2581.
In 2004, a 2003 image by the Spitzer Space Telescope was released showing the nebula in infrared wavelengths.[2] 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).[2] It was noted as being almost 14 thousand light years from Earth, and the infrared camera could detect the stars obscured by dust clouds.[2] It was estimated at least 200 of the stars in the nebula have dust disks.[7]
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.[6] 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.[8]
Media related to RCW 49 at Wikimedia Commons
