This large area of star-forming gas and dust is found in the constellation Cepheus.
About 3000 light years from earth, the cluster of new stars near the center of this
image is the main source of radiation that causes the hydrogen in the area to glow
red. Along the left side of the bright center of this image (also known as Sharpless
2-171 and as Cederblad 214) you will find several pillars of denser gas which
have resisted the eroding effects of the stars' radiation (so far! You may need to
view the "original" size of the image to see these clearly); notice how those pillars
all point to the cluster of stars in the middle of the image. Such new star clusters
blast away the cloud of material that gave them birth, an eroding process which takes
several million years.

Image data:
Telescope: Takahashi FSQ-106
Camera: SBIG STL-11000
Exposure: Hydrogen-alpha = 30 minutes x 7
RGB = 10 minutes x 5 each
(total = 6 hours)