Starbirth region RCW 49, infrared Spitzer Space Telescope (SST) image. The SST's infrared imaging sees past clouds of dust to newborn stars inside active nebulae. These stars (blue) are scattered throughout the nebula, though a dense cluster is seen at centre. The gas (green) and dust (pink) of the nebula is being blown outwards by radiation from the young stars. RCW 49 contains over 2200 stars, and SST observations have found over 300 never-before-seen stars. RCW 49 is 13,700 light years from Earth in the constellation Centaurus. Image obtained in 2003.