Stars form in large clouds of gas and dust called nebulae that scatter the visible wavelengths of light our eyes can see. The longer wavelengths of infrared light can pass through the cloud relatively undisturbed. Hubble’s near-infrared capabilities and high resolving power make it an important tool in the study of how stars form.
![Hubble observations of Carina Nebula section](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/eta-carinae-hubble20thpic-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
Hubble’s observations of nebulae reveal bizarre landscapes sculpted by radiation from young, exceptionally bright stars. The observations reveal the violent process of star birth that produces intense ultraviolet radiation and shock fronts. The radiation clears out cavities in stellar nursery clouds and erodes material from giant gas pillars that are incubators for fledgling stars.
![Hubble image of NGC 1977. Bright blue cloud with a reddish-orange jet (bottom, center). Far-right side and bottom right corner, reddish-orange cloud](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/hubble_ngc1977_p2042b_wfc3_acs_display-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
Hubble also captured energetic jets of glowing gas from young stars in unprecedented detail. These jets, called Herbig-Haro objects, are a byproduct of gas swirling into newly forming stars. The jets form when the star’s magnetic field channels gas toward the spinning star’s poles where it shoots out at supersonic speeds in opposing directions. Hubble’s longevity allows astronomers to observe Herbig-Haro objects over time. These observations show us how these jets evolve as they travel through the interstellar medium. Measuring and studying the motions and shape changes of Herbig-Haro objects helps astronomers untangle the complicated physical processes that form them, while also providing clues about the environment in which newborn stars develop.
![Glowing, clumpy streams of material moving left and right. Left side of the image is a bright-blue cloud slowly moving further to the left. Extending from the blue cloud is a tenuous strand of material moving toward the right. It appears to connect to a bright-white cloud at far right. This white cloud is also moving further to the right](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/hh47-sm.gif?w=4096&format=png)
![Glowing, clumpy streams of material moving left and right. Left side of the image is a small blue-white cloud slowly moving further to the left. Extending from the blue cloud is a strand of clumpy orange gas moving toward the right.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/hh34.gif?w=4096&format=png)
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Explore Other Hubble Science Highlights
Learn about some of Hubble's most exciting scientific discoveries.
![Cepheid star in Andromeda galaxy (Hubble observations)](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/stsci-prc11-15a-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
Discovering the Runaway Universe
Our cosmos is growing, and that expansion rate is accelerating.
![Hubble Ultra Deep Field image](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/hubble_ultra_deep_field_stsci-prc04-07a-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
Tracing the Growth of Galaxies
Hubble is instrumental in uncovering the various stages of galactic evolution.
![Hubble image left to right: Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn, Neptune](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/hubble_opal_composite.png?w=4096&format=png)
Studying the Outer Planets and Moons
Hubble’s systematic observations chart the ever-changing environments of our solar system's giant planets and their moons.
![Hubble view of an expanding halo of light around star v838 monocerotis](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/hubble-v838mon-heic0405a-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
Seeing Light Echoes
Like ripples on a pond, pulses of light reverberate through cosmic clouds forming echoes of light.
![Hubble observations of galaxies' centers](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/prc97-01-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
Monster Black Holes are Everywhere
Supermassive black holes lie at the heart of nearly every galaxy.
![An oval of colorful tendrils of gas and dust stretching from lower-left to upper right. Ova's outer ring is rusty-red tendrils, followed by a yellow/lime-green ring of tendrils. Oval's center is bright turquoise with white tendrils bisecting it. All set on a black background.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/hubble_crabnebula-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
The Death Throes of Stars
From colliding neutron stars to exploding supernovae, Hubble reveals details of some of the mysteries surrounding the deaths of stars.
![depiction of gravitational lensing](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/macs_j1149-2223-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
Shining a Light on Dark Matter
Hubble’s observations help astronomers uncover the underlying structure of the universe.
![Thirty proplyds in a 6 by 5 grid. Each one is unique. Some look like tadpoles, others like bright points in a cloudy disk.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/hubble-orion-proplyds-heic0917aa-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
Finding Planetary Construction Zones
Hubble’s sensitivity can reveal great disks of gas and dust around stars.
![Three views of Pluto. Three mottled circles in colors of yellow, grey, rusty-orange, and black.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/hubble-pluto-stsci-01evsrjcapn1afkxej1d7e1njd.png?w=4096&format=png)
Uncovering Icy Objects in the Kuiper Belt
Hubble’s discoveries helped NASA plan the New Horizon spacecraft’s flyby of Pluto and beyond.
![Comma shaped curved cloud of gases in bright white edged with bright-pink star forming regions, and threaded with rusty-brown tendrils of dust at center and throughout the comma shaped merger. All set against the black of deep space.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/hubble-antennaegalaxies-potw1345a-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
![Blue background. Center of image is a disk blocking the light of a star. Below and just to the left of the disk, at about seven o'clock, is a bright white point. This is PDS 70b.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/hubble-pds70b-stsci-h-p2121c-f-1280x1280-1-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
Recognizing Worlds Beyond Our Sun
Hubble’s unique capabilities allow it to explore planetary systems around other stars.
![animation of a binary asteroid with a shifting tail](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/comet3.gif?w=4096&format=png)
Tracking Evolution in the Asteroid Belt
These conglomerates of rock and ice may hold clues to the early solar system.