Infrared wide angle view of RCW 108 (detail)

This image shows an area near the centre of a unique, wide-field infrared view of the region around IRAS 16362-4845, an "emission" nebula that shines by its own light. It is situated within a dark cloud in a Milky Way region (the "RCW 108 complex") at a distance of about 4,000 light-years in the direction of the Southern constellation of Ara (the Altar). The dark cloud is seen silhouetted against the rich background of stars in the Milky Way, whose light is blocked by the dust particles in the cloud. The photo is based on approx. 600 individual exposures with the SOFI instrument at the 3.58-m ESO New Technology Telescope (NTT).