Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Adam Block

These two nebulae, IC 4954 and IC 4955, are part of a much larger complex of newly formed stars. This much larger cluster is called Roslund 4 and astronomers estimate that the stars found here are 4 million years old. The very sharp boundary (shock front) between some of these stars and the molecular cloud serves as a chronometer for the cluster. It is unlikely that a structure like this, caused by the outflow of these energetic young stars, would persist for timescales longer than 6 million years. It is estimated that this star forming region is 6,000-8,000 light years away. This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program at Kitt Peak Visitor Center during 2014.

Provider: NOIRLab

Image Source: https://noirlab.edu/public/images/noao-ic4955block/

Curator: NSF's NOIRLab, Tucson, AZ, USA

Image Use Policy: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License