Pink Champagne | Space Wallpaper

By Space.com Staff
published

Stellar Nursery IC 2944 space wallpaper
This intriguing space wallpaper reveals the spectacular stellar nursery IC 2944. The image was released on May 23, 2013 to celebrate a milestone: 15 years of ESO’s Very Large Telescope. (Image credit: ESO)

This intriguing space wallpaper reveals the spectacular stellar nursery IC 2944. The image was released on May 23, 2013 to celebrate a milestone: 15 years of ESO’s Very Large Telescope. This photo also shows a group of thick clouds of dust known as the Thackeray globules silhouetted against the pale pink glowing gas of the nebula. These globules are under fierce bombardment from the ultraviolet radiation from nearby hot young stars. They are both being eroded away and also fragmenting, rather like lumps of butter dropped onto a hot frying pan. It is likely that Thackeray’s globules will be destroyed before they can collapse and form new stars.

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Space.com Staff
Space.com Staff
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Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.