It is one of the entries of this year's Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, in London.
Nick named the Running Chicken Nebula, or IC2944 as it is officially known, this great cloud of glowing dust is said to resemble a sprinting hen when viewed in the right orientation through a telescope.
The bright pink dots in the picture, photographed by Rakibul Syed of Bangladesh, are new stars that have already begun shining. The striking image of an electric blue cloud of dust reveals the stormy heart of a nebula where new stars are being born.
Rakibul's picture was among the few entries to the competition that required slightly more sophisticated equipment than most of other entries.
The Telegraph ran a report on July 28, headlined "Stars in their skies: astronomy pictures reveal beauty of the heavens," on the entries with special mention of the picture of Rakibul, an amateur astronomy photographer who lives in Australia.
"By enhancing the colours, the photographer Rakibul Syed was able to reveal the glowing blue light reflected by gas in the nebula and the dark black and red clouds where stars are in the process of being formed," says the report by Telegraph science writer Richard Gray.
The shortlist for Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 is due to be announced on Monday and the winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, London in September.