Cosmic ice sculptures: Incredible shapes in a distant galaxy as stars 'sculpt' vast clouds of icy gas



This bizarre image shows radiation from stars as its carves away at clouds of molecules in a distant galaxy.

These strange structures occur as violent stellar winds and powerful radiation sculpt these clouds of dust and gas in the Carina Nebula.

The cloud on the right of the image is around one light year in length.

The distant Carina Nebula where radiation is eating away at vast clouds of dust and gas

This image is a composite of 2005 observations taken of the region in hydrogen light (light emitted by hydrogen atoms)

It was combined withalong with 2010 observations taken in oxygen light (light emitted by oxygen atoms), both times with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys.

Eventually the star's radiation will boil away the dust clouds until stars not yet formed in the interior will stop growing.

The immense Carina Nebula is an estimated 7,500 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina.



