Starship Asterisk*

I hope you can help me. I'm simply looking for an APOD pic of the best example of a cosmic dust/gas cloud that has just begun it's first moment of seed star sprouting nuclear reaction, i.e. visible light emanating from the cloud. If we could name it, "A Star is Born" pic would be exactly what I'm looking for. BUT, I'm NOT looking for a standard spherical shaped star cloud. I want a pic of a non-perfectly-round, semi-spherical gas cloud that is just beginning to create nuclear star light. Such a pic is not the usual thing seen whenever a star pic is depicted. An elongated cloud that is beginning to create light would be quite good.

Not quite clear what you are asking for here.
http://spacespin.org/article.php/80813- ... star-birth

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=%2 ... 57&bih=682

http://asterisk.apod.com/vie ... 14#p133191

What about the Flame Nebula in Orion? Would that be any good at all?
(And how about a real golden oldie Astronomy Picture of the Day?

http://www.astronet.ru/db/xware/msg/1217831

Ann

G'day

Nice images

But! are they the seeds, the origin?????