bild

NGC 281 starbirth region, optical image. Also called the Pacman Nebula, this is a region of active star formation 9,200 light years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia. The nebula is dominated by a cluster of X-ray emitting high-mass stars, ones that contain eight times the Sun's mass or more. Powerful stellar winds from these stars have shaped the gas and dust of the surrounding nebulae. Imaged by the 0.9M telescope of the West Mountain Observatory, Utah, USA. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/ROBERT GENDLER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)