"1 Million Telescope Shots Create Stunning Atlas of Stellar Birthplaces"

Astronomers have created a stunning mosaic of five vast stellar nurseries less than 1,500 light-years away, using more than 1 million images taken over five years by the European Southern Observatory in Chile. The observatory’s infrared survey telescope was able to peer through clouds of dust and discern infant stars, helping researchers better understand how stars evolve from dust. The findings complement observations by the European Space Agency's star-mapping Gaia spacecraft, orbiting nearly 1 million miles away.