sci10008c

“Proplyds” harboring disks of gas and dust that could one day form planetary systems. This group in the Carina nebula (NGC 3372), imaged with the CTIO Blanco 4-m telescope, is the first large population of these objects to have been found outside of the Orion Nebula.

Image credit: N. Smith, J. Bally, J. Thiel, J. Morse, U. Colorado & CTIO/NOAO/AURA/NSF