Vast glow-in-the-dark cosmic cloud near Earth shines a light on the mysteries of interstellar space

Vast glow-in-the-dark cosmic cloud near Earth shines a light on the mysteries of interstellar space

Published: June 21, 2025 at 6:16 am

Get the key facts about this amazing discovery with our quick, 1-minute read.

  • A massive hydrogen cloud named 'Eos' has been discovered just 300 lightyears from Earth
  • Eos is one of the largest structures ever found in space, spanning the width of 40 full Moons
  • The cloud is about 3,400 times more massive than the Sun and is crescent-shaped
  • Located on the edge of the Local Bubble, Eos is among the closest molecular clouds to Earth
  • Scientists detected Eos by observing ultraviolet light signatures of molecular hydrogen
  • The discovery was made using data from the FIMS-SPEAR instrument aboard South Korea’s STSAT-1 satellite
  • Eos poses no danger to Earth, but offers a rare opportunity to study the interstellar medium
  • Its hydrogen content provides crucial insights into star and planet formation since the Big Bang

Molecular cloud Eos is one of the single largest structures ever seen in space. Credit: Thomas Müller (HdA/MPIA) and Thavisha Dharmawardena (NYU)
Credit: Thomas Müller (HdA/MPIA) and Thavisha Dharmawardena (NYU)

Get the full story and watch a video about the discovery by reading our article One of largest space structures to date discovered via Apple News

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