'Prawn Nebula' creates new stars like 'cosmic recycling' [video]

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Stars are one of the most beautiful things to see in a dark, clear sky. And while it is the subject of curiosity and wonder, astronomers believe there is still something out there that can be more beautiful and magnificent to watch. Apparently, the experts are right because based on the new images released by an observatory in Chile, the Prawn Nebula is a sight to behold.

Space reports that through the help of a 2.2 meter telescope, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) from La Silla Observatory was able to snap a section of a reddish nebula filled with young, bluish stars. This is what astronomers call "cosmic recycling", wherein clusters of newborn stars brighten the gas surrounding them, turning them to new stars.

Prawn Nebula, or properly called Gum 56 and IC 4628, can be seen by the naked eye but very faintly, and not as illuminated and wonderful as what is depicted in the video. It is a nursery for new stars which showcases its life cycle.

ESO officials share that in order for the new stars to form, remains of an older and stellar star is used, the process made possible by a supernova explosion. Once it becomes dense, a part of the nebula will collapse, giving way to a new star.

CBS News adds that according to Jeremy Walsh, an ESO research astronomer, the Prawn Nebula might look chaotic when magnified because stars are being born from different places. As gas and dust form, it creates the complexity of the scene, making it even more beautiful to watch. The red and blue colors, which make the scene even more stunning, are due to hydrogen and ionized oxygen.

The name Gum 56 has been chosen in honor of Australian astronomer Colin Stanley Gum, the person responsible for publishing and cataloging H-II regions. These are big, low density clouds that have ionized hydrogen, of which a large part is due to two O-type stars or hot bluish stars. These are rare and easily go stellar by a million years.

CNET shares that if you wish to see the Prawn Nebula in action, you must be in the southern hemisphere and must have a very powerful telescope. It can be seen in the direction of Scorpius and is projected to cover about four times the size of the moon.