This picture depicts two major nebulae in the constellation of Orion, the Horsehead Nebula and the Orion Nebula. Nebulae are regions of the cosmos where stars are born. They consist of very large clouds of hydrogen (and some other compounds), which will, in many areas of the nebula, compress due to gravitational forces to form new stars. In this way, nebulae are the epitome of both form and function. These particular nebulae are some 1,500 light years away, and to give you an idea of how big nebulae actually are, the Orion Nebula is about 24 light years across (that's greater than the distance from the Earth to Gliese 581g!)
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