lurk in clouds of glowing hydrogen gas in emission nebula is
found near the edge of a large molecular cloud, unseen at
visible wavelengths, in the southern Ara, about 4,000 light-
years away. stars of the embedded Ara were formed in that region
only a few million years ago, sculpting the dark shapes and
powering the nebular glow with stellar winds and intense
ultraviolet radiation. formation itself was likely triggered by
winds and supernova explosions, from previous generations of
massive stars, that swept up and compressed the molecular gas.
Joining NGC 6188 on is rare emission nebula NGC 6164, also
created by one of the region's massive O-type stars. Similar in
appearance to many planetary nebulae, NGC 6164's striking,
symmetric gaseous shroud and faint halo surround its bright
central star at the upper right. The field of view spans about
two full Moons, corresponding to 70 light years at the estimated
distance of NGC 6188. Credit & Copyright: