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Lynx Arc Star-Formation Region (Illustration)

Artist’s concept of the Lynx Arc, a very bright star-forming region. Uneven layers of different colors flow into one another as they stretch out toward the edges of the frame: blue-white, yellow-green, orange, and red. Fluffy filaments of brown dust are intermingled along the layers. Small patches of the black background of space are located along the edges of the frame, most notably toward the bottom.

The Lynx Arc is a vast star birth region 12 billion light-years from Earth that contains 1 million ultra-hot stars. This artist's impression depicts torrent of ultraviolet radiation illuminating cold hydrogen gas. Astronomers regard this super star-birth region as an example of the early days of the universe where furious firestorms of star birth blazed across the skies.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    08:48:48.76
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    +44:55:49.6
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Lynx
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    12 billion light-years (3.68 parsecs)

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.

  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Lynx arc
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Super star-birth region
  • Release Date
    May 14, 2018
  • Credit
    Artwork: ESA, NASA, Robert Fosbury (ST-ECF)

Downloads

  • Full Res (For Print), 3006 × 3006
    tif (25.88 MB)
  • Full Res (For Display), 3006 × 3006
    png (16.65 MB)
  • Half Res, 1503 × 1503
    jpg (2.09 MB)

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Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Artwork Credit

ESA, NASA, Robert Fosbury (ST-ECF)

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