W40
Part of Milky Way
A star nursery shaped like a butterfly, with hundreds of young stars hidden in its dust.
The space butterfly W40
Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech
W40 is a cloud of gas and dust where new stars are forming. Its two "wings" are bubbles of hot gas blown out by the most massive stars of the young cluster between them.
Key facts
- Type
- Star-forming region
- Distance
- About 1,400 light-years
- Constellation
- Serpens