According to news from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) on October 31, 2025, a mysterious cloud of gas and dust called a "cosmic bat" was recently photographed. Its weird outline looks like a bat soaring in the night sky, which just fits the Halloween atmosphere. This image was taken by the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. Its ultra-wide field of view captured a huge cloud of interstellar gas and dust.

This "cosmic bat" is about 10,000 light-years away from the earth and is located between the constellations Circulus and Tract in the southern sky. The clouds stretch across the sky roughly as much as four full moons, and appear to be swooping toward the glowing patch above, evoking the image of a predator. In fact, this mysterious structure is a stellar nursery. The intense radiation emitted by the newborn stars inside causes the surrounding hydrogen gas to glow deep red. Dark filamentous structures make up the "bone wings" of bats. The light in these areas is blocked by dust, making them appear darker and denser.

The main structure of the nebula corresponds to the well-known star-forming regions in the southern sky - RCW 94 and RCW 95. RCW 94 forms the right wing of the bat, and RCW 95 is the central body. Other parts have not yet been officially named, adding an air of mystery to the nebula.

This magnificent landscape was captured thanks to the extremely large field of view of the VST telescope, which is operated by the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF) and is equipped with a 268-megapixel OmegaCAM camera, which allows astronomers to capture detailed and wide-area night sky images.

Finally, scientists used data collected through a variety of filters to synthesize this stunning photo. Most of the red light in the bat outline comes from VST's VPHAS+ optical measurement of the disk and center of the Southern Milky Way. ESO's VISTA visible and infrared survey telescope supplemented infrared observations of the densest areas of the nebula through the VVV project, revealing more hidden details. The results of the above surveys are now publicly available, inviting the general public to browse these stunning cosmic vistas.

With this, scientists also send Halloween blessings to everyone: "If you are brave enough, please appreciate the ghostly beauty of the universe!"

Compiled from /ScitechDaily