Stars are formed in molecular clouds, the darkest, dustiest, coldest parts of galaxies, so the early stages of star formation are normally hidden from view. But as soon as stars burst into life, their prodigious energy displaces the dust that surrounds them. The young stars that excite this nebula remain hidden in the brightest parts of this nebula, but their energy has blown away some of the dust at right angles to our line of sight, and some shredded dusty fragments can be seen in silhouette against the expanding, octopus-like shape, which was photographed in red light on the AAT. The nebula is in the direction of Carina , about 7000 light years distant.