Hot, young stars and cosmic pillars of gas and dust seem to crowd into
NGC 7822. At the edge of a giant molecular cloud in Cepheus, the glowing star-forming region is about 3,000 light-years away. Within the nebula, bright edges and dark shapes stand out. The image includes data from narrowband filters, mapping emission from atomic oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur into blue, green, and red hues. The emission line and color combination has become well-known as the
Hubble palette. The atomic emission is powered by energetic radiation from the central hot stars. This field of view spans over 40 light-years at the estimated distance of NGC 7822.
Image Credit & Copyright: Steve Cannistra (StarryWonders)
Commentary: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)