rho Ophiuchi Cloud @desc@A dark nebula located 1 degree south of the star rho Ophiuchi, at an estimated distance of about 425 light-years. It consists of two major regions of dense gas and dust, as well as several filaments. Some of the structures within the complex appear to be the result of a shock front passing through the clouds from the Sco OB2 association, a neighbouring group of young, hot massive stars.
Taurus Molecular Cloud @desc@Located at about 430 light-years from Earth, it is the nearest large star forming region. The cloud has been the target of many scientific studies at all wavelengths due to its proximity and characteristics. No massive stars have formed within the cloud, which contains only stars of mass similar to our Sun and below.
Orion Nebula @desc@Also known as M42. A diffuse nebula south of Orion's Belt in the constellation Orion. It is one of the brightest nebulae, visible to the naked eye in the night sky. At a distance of about 1,350 light-years, it is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. Its size is estimated to be 24 light-years across.
W40 @desc@Also known as RCW 174. A massive star-forming region in the constellation Serpens Cauda. Despite its relative proximity (1,600 light-years), it is highly obscured by the cloud and cannot be observed in visible wavelengths. Ionising radiation from the young, massive stars has shaped the cloud, given it an hour-glass morphology.
NGC 6334 @desc@The Cat's Paw Nebula. An emission nebula at an approximate distance of 5,500 light-years in the constellation Scorpius. It is one of the most active stellar nurseries producing massive stars in our Galaxy, containing tens of thousands of stars. The hot young stars embedded in the nebula are responsible for its glow.
NGC 6357 @desc@The War and Peace Nebula.A diffuse nebula in the constellation Scorpius. It contains many protostars shielded by dark disks of gas, and young massive stars wrapped in expanding cocoons of gas.
Eagle Nebula @desc@M16. A star-forming region in the constellation Serpens that makes part of a diffuse HII region named IC4703, at about 7,000 light-years from Earth. The center of the Nebula harbours the famous "Pillars of Creation", columns of gas and dust that act as incubators for new stars. The cluster associated with the nebula approximately has 8,100 stars, mostly concentrated in a gap north-west of the Pillars.
M17 @desc@The Omega Nebula.One of the brightest and most massive star-forming regions in our Galaxy, it is located at about 5,000 light-years from Earth, and it spans some 15 light-years in diameter. The nebula may contain up to 800 very young stars, plus over a thousand forming stars in the outer regions. With an age of only about 1 million years, the star cluster within the nebula is one of the youngest known.
IC 348 @desc@A star-forming region in the constellation Perseus. It is part of the Perseus Molecular Cloud, located about 1000 light-years away from Earth. The nebulosity is associated with a 2-million-year-old cluster of roughly 400 stars.
NGC 1333 @desc@Seen in the visible as a blue reflection nebula, infrared light reveals a rich cluster of young stars hidden within it. A mere 1,000 light-years distant, the region lies on the edge of the large Perseus Molecular Cloud.