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Credit & Copyright: Stefan Seip
Explanation:
In this beautiful
celestial still life
composed with
a cosmic brush, dusty nebula
NGC 2170
shines at the upper left.
Reflecting the light of nearby hot stars, NGC 2170
is joined
by other bluish reflection nebulae
and a compact
red emission region against
a backdrop of stars.
Like the common household items
still life painters
often choose for their subjects, the clouds of gas, dust, and hot stars
pictured here are also commonly found in this setting -
a massive, star-forming molecular cloud in the constellation
Monoceros.
The giant
molecular
cloud, Mon R2, is impressively close,
estimated
to be only 2,400 light-years or so away.
At that distance, this canvas would be about 15 light-years across.
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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: reflection nebula
Publications with words: reflection nebula
See also:
- APOD: 2026 April 7 Á IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Reflection Nebula
- APOD: 2026 February 2 Á Orion: The Running Man Nebula
- NGC 1333: Stellar Nursery in Perseus
- APOD: 2026 January 28 Á M78: Reflecting Blue in a Sea of Red
- NGC 7023: The Iris Nebula
- APOD: 2025 September 19 Á The NGC 6914 Complex
- Reflections on VdB 31