Pacman Nebula (NGC 281)

The Pacman Nebula (NGC 281) is a large emission nebula located near the orange giant Schedar in the constellation Cassiopeia. It is located at a distance of approximately 9,200 light-years from us and spans 35 arcminutes of the visible sky. The nebula is also known by other catalog names, such as IC 11 and Sharpless 184 (Sh2-184). The nebula received the name "Pacman" for its resemblance to the character from the popular video game Pac-Man, released in 1980. In optical images, a dark band of dust forms Pacman's mouth. The nebula extends 48 light-years across and is a star-forming region containing young stars, large lanes of dark dust, and Bok globules. Bok globules are small, dense dark nebulae filled with the material from which new stars form. The dark dust lane spreads unevenly across the glowing hydrogen clouds, creating the impression that it is illuminated by a massive background star hidden behind the dark clouds. The study of the Pacman Nebula has been conducted using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, which has allowed astronomers to study in detail the young open star cluster IC 1590 located in this star-forming region.