Close-up view of the glowing gas cloud LHA 120-N55 in the Large Magellanic Cloud

This pan video gives a close-up look at a new image of the strikingly colourful emission nebula, called LHA 120-N55 from ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). Light from blazing blue stars energises the gas left over from the stars’ recent formation to create a mantle of glowing gas. Astronomers study these beautiful displays to learn about the conditions in places where new stars develop.