Resembling a beast from a nightmare, rearing its head from a crimson sea, this celestial object is just a pillar of gas and dust. Called the Cone Nebula, this pillar resides in a turbulent star-forming region.

This picture was taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, shows the upper 2.5 light-years of the Cone, a height equal to 23 million round trips to the Moon. The entire pillar is seven light-years long!