The Hidden Fires of the Flame Nebula December 14, 2009 This
image, the first to be released publicly from VISTA, the world's
largest survey telescope, shows the spectacular star-forming
region known as the Flame Nebula, or NGC 2024, in the
constellation of Orion (the Hunter) and its surroundings. In
views of this evocative object in visible light the core of the
nebula is completely hidden behind obscuring dust, but in this
VISTA view, taken in infrared light, the cluster of very young
stars at the object's heart is revealed. The wide-field VISTA
view also includes the glow of the reflection nebula NGC 2023,
just below center, and the ghostly outline of the Horsehead
Nebula (Barnard 33) towards the lower right. The bright bluish
star towards the right is one of the three bright stars forming
the Belt of Orion. The image was created from VISTA images taken
through J, H and Ks filters in the near-infrared part of the
spectrum. The image shows about half the area of the full VISTA
field and is about 40 x 50 arcm