Fear not!

This is not a space monster devouring a star, as the image suggests. This is CB 130-3, a compact mass of gas and dust known as the dense core.

Dense cores are actually the birthplaces of stars, because during their collapse, enough mass can accumulate in one place to reach the temperatures and densities needed to ignite the hydrogen fusion that signals the birth of a new star.

Image description:

Irregularly shaped cloud of bright orange dense gas and dust, appearing darker and more compact in the centre and outlined by finer gas and dust in lighter shades of blue. Numerous bright stars shine against a black background.