Finger of God (Carina)

The Finger of God, also known as God's Birdie, is a Bok globule located in the constellation Carina approximately 8,000 light-years (2,500 pc) from Earth. It is a mass of dust and gas approximately two light-years (0.6 pc) long which has broken off from the main body of the Carina Nebula. Light from nearby bright stars is expected to dissipate it within a few million years.

While the Carina Nebula was first observed in 1752, dramatic changes of it were noted in 1841, and the Keyhole Nebula observed later that century, it was the Hubble Space Telescope that revealed details of the Finger in 1999.