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Credit & Copyright: Nicolas Outters
(Observatoire d'Orange)
Explanation:
Towering pillars of cold gas and dark dust adorn the
center star forming region of Sharpless 171.
An open cluster
of stars is forming there from the gas in cold
molecular clouds.
As energetic light emitted by young massive stars boils away the opaque
dust, the region fragments and
picturesque pillars
of the remnant gas and dust form and slowly evaporate.
The energetic light also illuminates the surrounding
hydrogen gas,
energize it to glow as a red
emission nebula.
Pictured above is the active central region of the
Sharpless 171 greater emission nebula.
Sharpless 171 incorporates
NGC 7822 and the active region Cederblad 214, much of which is
imaged above.
The area above spans about 20
light years, lies about 3,000 light years away,
and can be seen with a telescope toward the northern
constellation of the King of Ethiopia
(Cepheus).
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: star formation - open cluster - dust
Publications with words: star formation - open cluster - dust
See also:
- APOD: 2025 August 27 Á WISPIT 2b: Exoplanet Carves Gap in Birth Disk
- APOD: 2025 August 10 Á Zodiacal Road
- APOD: 2025 August 7 Á The Double Cluster in Perseus
- APOD: 2025 July 10 Á Lynds Dark Nebula 1251
- APOD: 2025 June 23 Á W5: Pillars of Star Formation
- APOD: 2025 April 28 Á Gum 37 and the Southern Tadpoles
- APOD: 2025 March 26 Á Star Formation in the Pacman Nebula