This VST image shows a cloud of gas and dust, shaped like a cosmic bat. The intense red glow comes from hydrogen atoms ionized by the intense radiation of young stars within the cloud. The most prominent objects here are RCW 94, which represents the right wing of the bat, and RCW 95, which forms the body, while the other parts of the bat have no official designation. Image credit: ESO / VPHAS+ Team / VVV Team.
“Located about 10,000 light-years away, this ‘cosmic bat’ is flying between the southern constellations of Circinus and Norma,” ESO astronomers said in a statement.
“Spanning an area of the sky equivalent to four full Moons, it looks as if it’s trying to hunt the glowing spot above it for food.”
“This nebula is a stellar nursery, a vast cloud of gas and dust from which stars are born.”
“The infant stars within it release enough energy to excite hydrogen atoms around them, making them glow with the intense shade of red seen in this eye-catching image.”
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