Nebula NGC 2170

About This Photograph

This enigmatic and colorful region in the constellation of Monoceros (the Unicorn) displays a wonderful mix of nebula types. The bluish areas are reflection nebulas, so named because they reflect the light of the bright stars within them. The reddish areas are emission nebulas, and shine by a different mechanism, fluorescence: ultraviolet light from bright, hot stars excites hydrogren and other gas atoms in the nebula, which then emit light of their own in specific colors. Finally, the filamentous, inky black area constitutes a dark nebula, and is seen in sillhouette because of the light beyond that it blocks.

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