The birthplace of stars begins within large, cold clouds of gas and dust, which eventually collapse under the weight of gravity. Molecular clouds are vast cosmic entities that often stretch for hundreds of light-years, and scientists just discovered a massive one lurking in our celestial neighborhood.

A team led by Rutgers University-New Brunswick discovered the large structure. It lies just 300 light years from Earth. Named “Eos” after the Greek goddess of dawn, the structure appears to be a star-forming region. Scientists believe it may help explain how stars and planets form in space.