Cometary Globules in Vela and Puppis - stock photo

Composite image showing Cometary Globules CG-30/31/38. These structures are located about 1300 light years away in the large Gum Nebula, near the constellations of Vela and Puppis. The cometary globules are the dark blobs seen silhouetted against the bright, colourful nebula. They are very dense regions of gas and dust in which gas coalesces to form low mass stars. Intense stellar winds from nearby hot stars blast material away from the 'heads' of the globules, forming the 'tails' and creating the cometary shapes. Image data from 8.2 Meter Subaru Telescope (NAOJ) and colour data from the Digitized Sky Survey