Pictured is the Iris Nebula and it consists of clouds of interstellar gas and dust that were created 1,300 light-years away in the fertile star fields of the constellation Cepheus. It reminds one of a flower with petals. Within this Iris Nebula, dusty nebular material surrounds a hot, young star. As is seen, the main color of the nebula is blue, which is characteristic of dust grains reflecting starlight. Central filaments of these dusty clouds glow with a "faint reddish photoluminesence" due to the fact that some dust grains convert the star's invisible ultraviolet radiation to visible red light. We have found, using infrared observations, that this nebula may contain complex carbon molecules known as PAHs. The size of the blue portion of the Iris Nebula is about six-light years across.
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