Perseus Molecular Cloud

The Perseus Molecular Cloud is a vast, cold, and dense region of gas and dust in space, located about 1,000 light-years away. It serves as a stellar nursery where new stars are born. The cloud’s thick material provides the ideal environment for gravity to pull gas together, eventually igniting nuclear fusion that creates stars. Observations of this cloud help astronomers understand how stars and planetary systems form and evolve over time, making it a key area of study in astrophysics.