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Star-Forming Nebula In the upper-right region of the Lagoon Nebula, above the main gas cloud field, there is an inconspicuous nebulosity. Appearing rather detached from its parent cloud, this feature reveals flower-shaped filamentary structures, outlined by the hurricane stellar winds and light that stream from the boiling surface of nearby stars. Though diffuse, this interstellar medium of gas and dust is an exceptionally fertile ground for stars to form. These filamentary structures are the leftovers from previous high-density clouds where star formation took place millions of years ago. Residual layers of gas and dust along the line of sight dim and redden the young central stars by blocking some of the stars’ blue light. Shorter blue wavelengths of light are more likely to be scattered by intervening dust grains, while longer, redder wavelengths pass freely through the encompassing dusty haze. Most of the stars seem redder than they actually are due to this phenomenon, which is known as the “extinction” or reddening of stars by the interstellar medium.
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