An H II region is a cloud of glowing gas and plasma, sometimes several hundred light-years across, in which star formation is taking place. Young, hot, blue stars which have formed from the gas emit copious amounts of ultraviolet light, ionizing the nebula surrounding them.
H II regions may give birth to thousands of stars over a period of several million years.
H II regions are named for the large amount of ionized atomic hydrogen they contain, referred to as H II by astronomers.
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