Photograph
Heart Nebula
A wide-field astrophotograph of the Heart Nebula and the rich structures of ionised gas across the surrounding star field.
Beyond the frame
The dark shapes near the center are not empty gaps but dense clouds of dust blocking the light behind them. Along their edges, radiation from young stars erodes and compresses the material, creating bright fronts and pillars. In a single image, we therefore see both the destruction of the original cloud and the conditions from which the next generation of stars may emerge.