Science.-Hubble Overlooking Dusty Star Arboretum

Madrid, 13 years old (Europe Press)

Nestled among the massive clouds of star-forming regions such as these are potential clues to the formation of our solar system.

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows AFGL 5180, a beautiful stellar nursery located in the constellation of Gemini.

In the center of the image, a massive star forms and blasts hollows through the clouds with a pair of powerful jets, extending toward the image’s upper right and lower left. The light of this star escapes for the most part and reaches us by illuminating these cavities, like a beacon piercing storm clouds.

Stars are born in dusty environments, and although this dust generates stunning images, it can prevent astronomers from seeing the stars embedded in it, NASA explained in a statement.

Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instrument is designed to capture detailed images in visible and infrared light, meaning that young stars hiding in vast star-forming regions like AFGL 5180 can be seen more clearly.