In the southern sky, a dark nebula stretches across the lower-right third of the image, partially obscuring the galaxy in question. This cloud is part of the Chamaeleon star-forming region, located around 500 light-years away from us in a nearby section of the Milky Way galaxy. The dark clouds within this region dominate a significant portion of the southern sky, enveloping their namesake constellation and overlapping into neighboring constellations like Apus.
The Cha I cloud within this region has been extensively studied for its concentration of young stars. Images captured by both the Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have provided valuable insights into this cloud’s composition and behavior. The Chamaeleon star-forming region is an important area of study for astronomers seeking to understand the formation and evolution of new stars.
