Reflection nebula. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image of the reflection nebula IC 349. This nebula (also known as Barnard's Merope Nebula) shines as it reflects the light of the nearby star Merope (23 Tauri), which is out of frame at upper right. The nebula is composed mainly of small dust particles. IC 349 is so close to Merope that the star's light and solar wind pushes the dust away from it, a phenomenon known as radiation pressure. This affects smaller dust particles more than larger ones. The spikes seen pointing towards upper right comprise larger particles which have not been blown backwards as much as others.