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Scientists have created the most detailed portrait ever of the closest known star factory, the Orion Nebula [ZOOM]. They have also uncovered new details about the stellar winds responsible for carving out the nebula's ghostly shapes.
Meanwhile, another research group identified a glowing gas cloud in another region of the night sky that might replace Orion when it fades from view in about 100,000 years.
The findings were announced here at the 207th meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
Orion is located 1,500 light-years away and is the nearest region of massive star-formation to Earth.
Located at the center of the Orion Nebula is a group of four young, massive stars; they are collectively referred to as the "Trapezium" because of the shape they make. The Trapezium is surrounded by a halo of 1,000 faint, low-mass stars similar to the Sun.
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