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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: 2026 April 13 Á NGC 602 and Beyond
- APOD: 2026 April 5 Á NGC 3310: A Starburst Spiral Galaxy
- APOD: 2026 March 17 Á The Tadpoles of IC 410
- NGC 1333: Stellar Nursery in Perseus
- LDN 1622: Dark Nebula in Orion
- NGC 7023: The Iris Nebula
- APOD: 2025 December 28 Á NGC 1898: Globular Cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud