March – The Prawn Nebula

This glowing shroud of gas makes up the huge stellar nursery IC 4628, approximately 6000 lightyears away in the tail of the constellation of Scorpius. This image of IC 4628 — also nicknamed the Prawn Nebula — was taken using the VLT Survey Telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. Newborn stars burn brightly nearby, exposing the gas clouds to UV light and producing a colourful glow.