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Hubble Snaps a Special Stellar Nursery

Whisp-like, purple-hued view of star-forming region j025157.5+600606 against black backdrop of space, as seen by hubble
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Sahai

This image, taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, depicts a special class of star-forming nursery known as Free-floating Evaporating Gaseous Globules, or frEGGs for short. This object is formally known as J025157.5+600606.

When a massive new star starts to shine while still within the cool molecular gas cloud from which it formed, its energetic radiation can ionize the cloud’s hydrogen and create a large, hot bubble of ionized gas. Amazingly, located within this bubble of hot gas around a nearby massive star are the frEGGs: dark compact globules of dust and gas, some of which are giving birth to low-mass stars. The boundary between the cool, dusty frEGG and the hot gas bubble is seen as the glowing purple/blue edges in this fascinating image.

Text credit: ESA (European Space Agency)

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Last Updated
Oct 04, 2023
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