Visible/infrared comparison of views of the Orion A molecular cloud

This close-up video sequence gives a detailed look at a new image from the VISTA infrared survey telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in northern Chile. The image is compared with a visible light view of the region from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS).

This new infrared VISTA image is part of the largest infrared high-resolution mosaic of Orion ever created and covers the Orion A molecular cloud, the nearest known massive star factory, lying about 1350 light-years from Earth. The new infrared images reveal many young stars and other objects normally buried deep in the dusty clouds.