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Credit & Copyright: Martin Pugh  
  
  
 
Explanation:
This  
bright cosmic cloud  
was sculpted by stellar  
winds and radiation from the hot young stars  
of open cluster NGC 3324.  
  
With dust clouds in silhouette against its glowing atomic gas, the  
pocket-shaped  
star-forming region actually spans about 35 light-years.  
  
It lies some 7,500 light-years away toward the nebula rich  
southern constellation  
Carina.  
  
A composite of narrowband image data, the telescopic view  
captures the characteristic emission from ionized sulfur, hydrogen,  
and oxygen atoms mapped to red, green, and blue hues in the  
popular Hubble Palette.  
  
For some, the celestial landscape of bright ridges of  
emission bordered by cool, obscuring  
dust along  
the right side create a recognizable face in profile.  
  
The region's popular name is the  
Gabriela  
Mistral Nebula for the Nobel Prize winning Chilean poet.  
  
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: open cluster
Publications with words: open cluster
See also:
- APOD: 2025 August 7 Á The Double Cluster in Perseus
- APOD: 2025 April 28 Á Gum 37 and the Southern Tadpoles
- Open Star Clusters M35 and NGC 2158
- APOD: 2025 February 25 Á M41: The Little Beehive Star Cluster
- APOD: 2025 February 11 Á The Spider and the Fly
- APOD: 2024 October 29 Á NGC 602: Stars Versus Pillars from Webb
- NGC 7789: Caroline s Rose
