This image shows a new (only a few million years old) star
cluster still embedded in the cloud of dust and hydrogen from
which the stars formed. These energetic stars cause the surrounding
gas to glow red. The nebula is crossed by darker lanes of material,
and smaller blobs called "Bok globules", where stars will form unless
the radiation from the star cluster scatters this material before it
can condense. NGC 281 is sometimes called the "PacMan" nebula, because
its outline reminds some people of the iconic character in the early
video game by that name. NGC 281 is 10,000 light years away, in the
constellation Cassiopeia.

Image data:
Camera: Canon 350 XT (modified)
Exposure: ISO 800, 5 minutes x 42
Telescope: 10" Schmidt-Newtonian, Baader coma corrector