This radio image shows a giant star-forming region, in the constellations Orion and Monoceros, beyond the reach of visible light telescopes. Seen here is a large area of the sky, roughly the equivalent of 4,000 full Moons. Indeed, the area is so large that more than 12,500 radio observa-
tions were required to assemble
this image.
The bright yellow and red regions toward the right represent warmer areas of radio emission, including the Great Nebula in Orion and the nearby Horsehead Nebula. These nebulae contain young but fully formed stars on the edge of much larger and cooler molecular clouds. The purple and blue areas represent the weaker radio emission from vast oceans
