Vast pillars around the edge of the Sh2-284 nebula

As you look around the edges of this spectacular nebula, pillars have formed in the cloud, pointing towards the central cluster of stars. These pillars, which in reality are light-years wide, have been outlined by dotted lines. The structures form when winds (shown here as arrows) from the central star cluster meet denser pockets of material that are harder to erode away than the surrounding regions. Thus, the regions around the pillar are pushed away, while these magnificent structures are temporarily left behind.

This image is part of the VST Photometric Hα Survey of the Southern Galactic Plane and Bulge, led by Janet Drew at the University of Hertfordshire in the UK.