Star forming region "DR 21 - Cygni" - SST

Deep in the normally hidden recesses of giant molecular cloud DR 21, a stellar nursery has been found creating some of the most massive stars yet recorded. The orbiting Spitzer Space Telescope's Infrared Array Camera opened the window into the cloud in mid- infrared light. The cloud is opaque to visible light because of dense interstellar dust. Noticeable in the above representative color infrared Spitzer image are huge bubbles, a complex tapestry of dust and gas and very massive stars. The infrared filaments actually glow because of organic compounds known as "PAHs". The intricate patterns are caused by complex interactions between interstellar winds, radiation pressures, magnetic fields, and gravity. The pictured region spans about 75 LY and lies about 6.000 LY distant toward the constellation of Cygnus.