Photograph
The Wizard Nebula
The Wizard Nebula (officially designated as NGC 7380 or Sh2-142) is a colorful cosmic cloud of interstellar gas surrounding a developing open star cluster. Located roughly 7,200 to 8,500 light-years from Earth in the northern circumpolar constellation of Cepheus, it earns its popular nickname from its shape, which looks like a medieval sorcerer wearing a pointed hat and cloak
Beyond the frame
The figure of the “wizard” is created by the way human imagination connects bright rims and dark clouds. In reality, these shapes are fronts of gas and dust sculpted by the young cluster NGC 7380. Its most massive stars both illuminate and erode the cloud, so the recognizable silhouette is only a brief stage in a constantly changing landscape.