For International Women's Day, Roscosmos presented an unusual "space bouquet." The state corporation's Telegram channel published images of nebulae whose shapes resemble flowers.
The selection includes the Rosette Nebula, a giant region of space over 100 light-years in diameter. New stars continue to form inside this huge cloud of gas and dust.
The "bouquet" also includes the Tulip Nebula in the constellation Cygnus. This is a cloud of glowing hydrogen located thousands of light-years from Earth.
The selection also features the Iris Nebula, known for its soft blue glow of interstellar dust.
In addition, the images show two neighboring star-forming regions – the Heart Nebula and the Soul Nebula. These huge structures are connected by gas flows and a common history of star birth.
According to experts, such cosmic "flowers" are formed under the influence of radiation from hot young stars. It causes hydrogen to glow in pink hues, and powerful processes of gravitational compression and the birth of new star systems continue inside the nebulae.