Close-Up View of the Head of the Seagull Nebula Space Wallpaper

Close-up view of the head of the Seagull Nebula 1920
This image from ESO’s La Silla Observatory shows part of a stellar nursery nicknamed the Seagull Nebula. (Image credit: ESO)

This space wallpaper from ESO’s La Silla Observatory shows part of a stellar nursery nicknamed the Seagull Nebula. This cloud of gas, known as Sh 2-292, RCW 2 and Gum 1, seems to form the head of the seagull and glows brightly due to the energetic radiation from a very hot young star lurking at its heart. The detailed view was produced by the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope. Image released Sept. 26, 2012.

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