This dramatic new image of cosmic clouds in the
constellation of Orion reveals what seems to be a fiery ribbon in the sky. This
orange glow represents faint light coming from grains of cold interstellar
dust, at wavelengths too long for human eyes to see. It was observed by the
ESO-operated Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) in Chile.
Clouds of gas and interstellar dust are the raw materials
from which stars are made. But these tiny dust grains block our view of what
lies within and behind the clouds — at least at visible wavelengths — making it
difficult to observe the processes of star formation.