North America

At first glance it looks like nothing more than a cloud shaped like a familiar continent — but in reality this is a vast region of active star formation about 2,600 light-years away from Earth.

Its bright glow comes from ionized hydrogen, excited by intense ultraviolet radiation from a massive young O-type star hidden deep within the surrounding dust. The exact position of this star is still uncertain.

The nebula’s distinctive “coastline” marks the boundary between the bright emission region and the dense dark clouds. It is inside these cold, opaque structures that new stars are being born.

And as a small bonus — an editor’s cut with a wider field.

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