Sunny Priyan
Sh2-284 resides 15,000 light-years away at the end of an outer spiral arm of our Milky Way galaxy, in the constellation Monoceros.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Andersen; ESO/VPHAS+ Team
Hubble’s infrared view reveals stars hidden by Sh2-284’s clouds, as infrared light penetrates gas and dust unlike visible light.
Image Credit: Freepik
The young star cluster Dolidze 25, though unseen in this Hubble image, sculpts Sh2-284’s gas and dust with ionizing winds and radiation, forming intricate pillars and dramatic shapes.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Andersen; ESO/VPHAS+ Team
Sh2-284 is an HII region, glowing as an emission nebula energized by intense ultraviolet radiation from nearby stars, ionizing its hydrogen-rich gas into radiant light.
Image Credit: Freepik
Sh2-284’s low-metallicity environment, rich in hydrogen and helium, helps Hubble explore stellar formation in conditions like the early universe.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Andersen; ESO/VPHAS+ Team
A glittering glimpse of Sh2-284 reveals newborn stars glowing pink amid cumulus-like clouds of gas and dust.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Andersen; ESO/VPHAS+ Team