A dwarf galaxy called NGC 5253 is producing stars at what scientists are describing as a "phenomenal" rate, IFL Science reports. Large nebulae inside galaxies can produce thousands of stars at once, but NGC 5253 and its nebula are forming millions of stars.
Jean Turner, a professor at UCLA who discovered the galaxy's supernebula, said in a statement that she has "been searching for the gas cloud that is forming the supernebula and its star cluster for years." She and her colleagues published their findings in the journal Nature.
Scientists named the supernebula "Cloud D," and it could provide astronomers with important clues about our galaxy's past. IFL Science describes Cloud D as a "throwback to a time when giant star clusters were made." In the study, the researchers explain that Cloud D may be proof that the Milky Way's nebulae used to be more efficient at star formation.
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Cloud D is so powerful that it is generating a star cluster that's a billion times brighter than the sun. It's just 10.9 million light-years away, too, which makes it nearby to our own galaxy by galactic standards, IFL Science notes. Unfortunately, you probably won't be able to see Cloud D's star formation — the visible light from the star production is hidden by the nebula's dust.
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