Stunning images of a 'star nursery' in the universe

NASA has just released a stunning image of the Man Khoi Nebula 5,000 light years from Earth.

Colorful images captured by the Herschel Space Observatory show dust clouds appearing in the "star nursery" in this constellation of the Unicorn.

Latest photos of the Man Khoi Nebula.(Photo: Fox News).

According to NASA, the light streaks in the image are dusty cocoons containing giant star embryos that can grow up to 10 times the mass of the Sun.

The small points near the center of the image are the massive star embryos.

The Man Khoi Nebula is roughly circular in shape at the edge of a giant molecular cloud in the constellation Unicorn. Its true size is about 130 light-years. It weighs 10,000 times the mass of the Sun.

Astronomers estimate there are about 2500 young stars in the Man Khoi Nebula, including HD 46223 and HD 46150 , two super-hot giant O stars that produce vast amounts of radiation and stellar winds. HD 46223 is 400,000 times brighter than the Sun and about 50 times heavier while HD 46150 is 450,000 times brighter and about 60 times heavier.

The radiation from super hot stars such as HD 46223 or HD 46150 emits, causing the nebula to shine brightly while the stellar wind cleans the central region.

1. Giant stars are created from 'star nurseries'
2. Travel to the "star nursery" 160,000 light-years from Earth