The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has shared a stunning image of a massive star-forming region shaped like a bat soaring across the cosmos. Released around Halloween 2025, the view captures two giant clouds of gas and dust — RCW 94 and RCW 95 — that make up what astronomers call the “cosmic bat.” This spectacular nebula lies about 10,000 light-years away in the Milky Way’s Norma arm.

Located between the constellations Circinus and Norma, the region stretches across an area of the sky about four times the size of the full Moon. It is an active H II region, a large cloud of ionized hydrogen gas where new stars are constantly being born. The bright red glow outlining the bat’s wings comes from hydrogen atoms that shine when they are energized by powerful ultraviolet light from hot, young stars.

Dark streaks and filaments within the image give the nebula its eerie shape. These are thick clouds of dust that block and scatter visible light. The cloud known as RCW 94 forms the right “wing,” while the denser central area is RCW 95. Other parts of the shape have yet to receive official names.

To capture this view, ESO combined visible light data from the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) using the 268-megapixel OmegaCAM camera with infrared data from the VISTA telescope. Infrared light can pass through dust, allowing astronomers to see young stars and hidden clusters that would otherwise be invisible. Together, the two views provide a clearer picture of how new stars shape and transform their surroundings.

Why it Matters
• The combined visible (VST) and infrared (VISTA) data reveal young stars and hidden clusters buried within thick interstellar dust.
• These H II regions show how ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds from newborn stars sculpt the surrounding gas and dust in our galaxy.
• The image’s release near Halloween 2025 highlights the ongoing, timeless nature of star formation, whose light began its journey long before humans existed.