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A Cosmic Finger Pointing Toward a Star Shaped through the ages by stellar winds and hot starlight, this dense pillar of gas and dust has come to resemble an arm, with the index finger of the hand pointing toward a nearby star. This light source is actually a system of two tightly bound stars that orbit each other at very high speed. Within the dense, dusty arm itself, newly formed stars peek out, including one that sparkles like a huge diamond ring adorning the celestial finger. This star dwells at the outermost edge of the loose, open cluster called NGC 6530 within the nebula. Layers of dust redden some of the stars by preferentially scattering and removing blue light, allowing more of the red starlight to reach our eyes.
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