Hubble Peers at Mysterious Cosmic ‘Keyhole’, The Reflection Nebula

This peculiar portrait from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope showcases NGC 1999, a reflection nebula in the constellation Orion. NGC 1999 is around 1,350 light-years from Earth and lies near the Orion Nebula, the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. NGC 1999 itself is a relic of recent star formation – it is composed of debris left over from the formation of a newborn star.

Text credit: European Space Agency (ESA)
Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, ESO, K. Noll


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