Spanning 3,500 times the width of our solar system, the Omega Nebula nurtures newly born stars in colorful blankets of glowing gas resting in a cold, dark cloud of hydrogen. The region, which is also known as the Swan Nebula, is 5,500 light years away in the constellation Sagittarius. The nebula is illuminated by hot, ultraviolet radiation from the young massive stars, each about six times hotter and 30 times bigger than our sun. The blue, green and red colors are caused by energized hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur. The red glow is due to hydrogen and sulfur.