“God’s Hand”

Image Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), D. de Martin & M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab)

This cloudy, ominous structure is CG 4, a cometary globule nicknamed ‘God’s Hand’. It is located in the southern sky, about 1,300 light years away. CG 4 is one of many cometary globules present within the Milky Way, and how these objects get their distinct form is still a matter of debate among astronomers. It’s an emission nebula, indicating a star-forming region. One unique feature of the nebula is the arm-shaped structure stretching into space. It measures about eight light-years long. The head is dense, opaque, and lit by a nearby bright star.

(Courtesy of jmishlove@newthinkingallowed.com)

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