Scorpion's Stellar MonstersDust and gas envelop a cluster of massive stars called Pismis 24 in a new picture of a nebula in the constellation Scorpius. Radiation from the huge stars is carving the nebula into unusual shapes.Released April 12, 2010, by the European Southern Observatory, the visible-light picture offers a new view of Pismis 24, home to stars that are each more than a hundred times as massive as the sun.
Image courtesy ESO/IDA/Danish 1.5 m/R. Gendler, U.G. Jørgensen, J. Skottfelt, K. Harpsøe

Space Photos This Week: Mars Gullies, Odd Galaxy, More

"Monster" stars get exposed, an ice-watching satellite gets a fiery start, Hubble snaps an oddball galaxy, and more in the week's best space pictures.

Published April 16, 2010