NGC 2467, often called the Skull and Crossbones Nebula, is a dynamic star-forming region located roughly 13,000 light-years away in the constellation Puppis. This complex emission nebula is part of a larger molecular cloud where intense ultraviolet radiation from young, massive stars ionizes surrounding hydrogen gas, producing the glowing red structures seen throughout the field. Embedded clusters sculpt the nebula’s shape through stellar winds and radiation pressure, carving cavities and bright rims while triggering new generations of star formation along compressed gas fronts.
Rendered here in a narrowband palette, the image highlights ionized hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur, revealing intricate filaments, shock fronts, and dense dust lanes that give rise to the nebula’s skull-like appearance. Blue tones trace energized oxygen near the hottest stars, while warmer reds and golds map hydrogen-rich regions and expanding shells. Against a backdrop of faint Milky Way star fields, NGC 2467 appears as a turbulent crossroads of creation, where stellar feedback continuously reshapes the surrounding interstellar medium.
NGC 2467, often called the Skull and Crossbones Nebula, is a dynamic star-forming region located roughly 13,000 light-years away in the constellation Puppis. This complex emission nebula is part of a larger molecular cloud where intense ultraviolet radiation from young, massive stars ionizes surrounding hydrogen gas, producing the glowing red structures seen throughout the field. Embedded clusters sculpt the nebula’s shape through stellar winds and radiation pressure, carving cavities and bright rims while triggering new generations of star formation along compressed gas fronts.
Rendered here in a narrowband palette, the image highlights ionized hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur, revealing intricate filaments, shock fronts, and dense dust lanes that give rise to the nebula’s skull-like appearance. Blue tones trace energized oxygen near the hottest stars, while warmer reds and golds map hydrogen-rich regions and expanding shells. Against a backdrop of faint Milky Way star fields, NGC 2467 appears as a turbulent crossroads of creation, where stellar feedback continuously reshapes the surrounding interstellar medium.