First 3-D map of a gas cloud in space shows it’s flat like a pancake
Its newfound shape could explain why the structure is missing stars
![gas cloud](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/050918_LG_interstellar-gas-cloud_feat_REV.jpg?fit=860%2C460&ssl=1)
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE This snakelike gas cloud (center dark area) in the constellation Musca resembles a skinny filament. But it’s actually a flat sheet that extends about 20 light-years into space away from Earth, an analysis finds.