Explanation:
Is this a painting or a photograph?
In this beautiful celestial
still life
composed with a cosmic brush, dusty nebula
NGC 2170
shines near the image center.
Reflecting the light of nearby hot stars,
NGC 2170 is joined
by other bluish reflection nebulae, a
red emission region, many dark
absorption nebulae,
and a backdrop of
colorful stars.
Like the common household items
still life painters
often choose for their subjects, the clouds of gas, dust, and hot stars
pictured above are also commonly found in this setting -
a massive, star-forming molecular cloud in the constellation of the
Unicorn (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 over 60 light-years across.
