Named RCW 7, the nebula is located just over 5300 light-years from Earth in the constellation Puppis. Nebulae are areas of space that are rich in the raw material needed to form new stars. Under the influence of gravity, parts of these molecular clouds collapse until they coalesce into protostars, surrounded by spinning discs of leftover gas and dust. In the case of RCW 7, the protostars forming here are particularly massive, giving off strongly ionising radiation and fierce stellar winds that have transformed it into what is known as a H II region. The ultraviolet radiation from the massive protostars excites the hydrogen, causing it to emit light and giving this nebula its soft pinkish glow. Here Hubble is studying a particular massive protostellar binary named IRAS 07299-1651, still in its glowing cocoon of gas in the curling clouds towards the top of the nebula. To expose this star and its siblings, this image was captured using the Wide Field Camera 3 in near-infrared light. The massive protostars here are brightest in ultraviolet light, but they emit plenty of infrared light which can pass through much of the gas and dust around them and be seen by Hubble.
Related posts
-
NASA’s new SPHEREx space telescope takes its 1st cosmic images: ‘The instrument team nailed it’
You know how the James Webb Space Telescope is said to be revolutionizing astronomy because it... -
New alien abduction film ‘Watch the Skies’ is giving us Swedish Spielberg vibes (video)
Watch the Skies Exclusive Trailer (2025) – YouTube Watch On Not since the days of Erich... -
‘I’d get on in a heartbeat’: Starliner astronauts would fly on Boeing spacecraft again despite malfunctions (video)
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore both say they’d ride on Boeing’s Starliner again, despite...