- A new image shows a nebula 2,500 light-years away in spectacular detail.
- The Cone Nebula was broken up by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope.
- This is one of the largest telescopes in the world.
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A newly released image shows the “Cone Nebula” in stunning detail. It is about 2,500 light years away.
The image was published this Thursday by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), on the occasion of the institute’s 60th anniversary.
The nebula was broken up earlier this year by ESO’s Very Large Telescope, one of the largest in the world, located in the Atacama Desert in Chile.
An annotated image shows the nebula in a wide-field image of the sky. ESO/Insider
Nebulae are star factories. The dense cloud of cosmic dust and gas is the perfect breeding ground for bright new stars, some of which can be seen near the top of the cloud in the image above.
The cone nebula’s shape is caused by a star at the tip of the nebula blowing away gas and dust as it forms, compressing the dust into a dense pillar-like shape, according to an accompanying news release.
About 2,500 light years from Earth, the Cone Nebula is relatively close to us, making it easy to observe.
To find the Cone Nebula, scientists turned their telescope toward the constellation Monoceros (the Unicorn), about halfway between the stars Betelgeuse and Procyon.
The Cone Nebula can be found at the tip of the constellation Monoceros (Unicorn) ESO
The constellation Unicorn is visible in the winter sky from the Northern Hemisphere.
ESO’s Very Large Telescope is one of the largest telescopes in the world.