The Pacman Nebula is named for its resemblance to the famous video game character. Located in the constellation Cassiopeia, it is 10,000 light years from Earth and within our own Milky Way Galaxy. A nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust and gases such as hydrogen and oxygen. Interstellar dust and gases are pulled together to form the cloud we see. As these clouds condense, new stars are formed. The mouth of the Pacman is a cloud of dark gas and dust that obscures the glowing gases that form the nebula.
