Explanation: Stars can create huge and intricate dust sculptures from the dense and dark molecular clouds from which they are born. The tools the stars use to carve their detailed works are high energy light and fast stellar winds. The heat they generate evaporates the dark molecular dust as well as causing ambient hydrogen gas to disperse and glow. Pictured here, a new open cluster of stars designated IC 1590 is nearing completion around the intricate interstellar dust structures in the emission nebula NGC 281, dubbed the Pac-man Nebula because of its overall shape. The dust cloud just above center is classified as a Bok Globule as it may gravitationally collapse and form a star -- or stars. The Pacman Nebula lies about 10,000 light years away toward the constellation of Cassiopeia.
Stars and Dust in the Pacman Nebula
AI 生成的摘要
星星能够从它们诞生的密集黑暗分子云中创造出巨大而复杂的尘埃雕塑。它们使用高能光和快速的恒星风作为工具，产生的热量使黑暗的分子尘埃蒸发，并使周围的氢气散开并发光。图中，新开放星团IC 1590正在接近完成，围绕着被称为“吃豆人星云”的发射星云NGC 281中的复杂星际尘埃结构。图中中心上方的尘埃云被归类为博克球体，可能会因重力坍缩而形成一颗或多颗恒星。吃豆人星云距离我们约10,000光年，位于仙后座方向。