Evocative. That’s one word I can use to describe this amazing image of the Horsehead Nebula. Stunning is another. I think that’s what Dr. Jean-Charles Cuillandre, who works with the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope atop Mauna Kea, had in mind when he started a “pretty pictures” program of imagery.

Prosaically speaking, this is a cloud of gas and dust being lit up by a hot young star. It’s just a coincidence that the darkest part of the image, the Horse’s head, looks like a horse. What’s cooler to contemplate is what’s inside that horsey-looking cloud. Maybe a newborn star waiting to eat away the remaining cloud and burst forth with light in a few hundred thousand years? It’s possible.

Starbirth is like that — full of surprises. And areas of starbirth are among the hottest (literally) topics of astronomy research today. Lucky for us, scientists like Dr. Cuillandre are ready, willing, and able to give us “front row” seats for the festivities!