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A lonely star-forming embryo

Captured by Jimmy Walker, processed by Warren Keller

NGC 1333 — also known as the Embryo Nebula — is a reflection nebula nearly 1,000 light-years distant. This wide-field view shows it adrift in the vast Perseus molecular cloud, which hosts many star-forming regions. The cool blue light is from young, hot stars reflecting off dust; red patches of glowing hydrogen indicate where dense dust is being compacted and heated, birthing new stars. The image represents 85 minutes of exposure on a 11-inch Celestron RASA scope and a one-shot color camera.