2 min read

Starburst Cluster Shows Celestial Fireworks

NGC 3603

Credit: NASA, ESA, R. O'Connell (University of Virginia), F.Paresce (National Institute for Astrophysics, Bologna, Italy), E.Young (Universities Space Research Association/AmesResearch Center), the WFC3 Science Oversight Committee, andthe Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

› Larger image

› Labeled image

Like a July 4 fireworks display a young, glittering collection ofstars looks like an aerial burst. The cluster is surrounded byclouds of interstellar gas and dust - the raw material for newstar formation. The nebula, located 20,000 light-years away inthe constellation Carina, contains a central cluster of huge, hotstars, called NGC 3603.

This environment is not as peaceful as it looks. Ultravioletradiation and violent stellar winds have blown out anenormous cavity in the gas and dust enveloping the cluster,providing an unobstructed view of the cluster.

Most of the stars in the cluster were born around the sametime but differ in size, mass, temperature, and color. Thecourse of a star's life is determined by its mass, so a cluster ofa given age will contain stars in various stages of their lives,giving an opportunity for detailed analyses of stellar life cycles.NGC 3603 also contains some of the most massive starsknown. These huge stars live fast and die young, burningthrough their hydrogen fuel quickly and ultimately ending theirlives in supernova explosions.

Star clusters like NGC 3603 provide important clues tounderstanding the origin of massive star formation in theearly, distant universe. Astronomers also use massive clustersto study distant starbursts that occur when galaxies collide,igniting a flurry of star formation. The proximity of NGC 3603makes it an excellent lab for studying such distant andmomentous events.

This Hubble Space Telescope image was captured in August2009 and December 2009 with the Wide Field Camera 3 inboth visible and infrared light, which trace the glow of sulfur,hydrogen, and iron.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. in Washington, D.C.

Share

Details

Last Updated
Apr 17, 2023
Editor
NASA Hubble Mission Team

Related Terms

Explore More

A close-up of a spiral galaxy, seen face-on. Its center is a bright white point, surrounded by a large yellowish oval with thin lines of dust swirling in it. From the sides of the oval emerge two bright spiral arms which wind through the round disk of the galaxy, filled with shining pink spots where stars are forming and more dark reddish dust. Many stars are visible in the foreground, over and around the galaxy.
2 min read

Hubble Images a Grand Spiral

Article1 day ago
4 min read

NASA Successfully Integrates Roman Mission’s Telescope, Instruments

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team has successfully integrated the mission’s telescope and two instruments onto the instrument carrier, marking the completion of the Roman payload. Now the team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will begin joining the payload to the spacecraft. “We’re in the middle of an exciting stage […]

Article2 days ago
A montage of Hubble Space Telescope images of our solar system's four giant outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, taken under the OPAL (Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy) program over 10 years, from 2014 to 2024.
8 min read

NASA’s Hubble Celebrates Decade of Tracking Outer Planets

Article5 days ago
Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

James Webb Space Telescope

The image is divided horizontally by an undulating line between a cloudscape forming a nebula along the bottom portion and a comparatively clear upper portion. Speckled across both portions is a starfield, showing innumerable stars of many sizes. The smallest of these are small, distant, and faint points of light. The largest of these appear larger, closer, brighter, and more fully resolved with 8-point diffraction spikes. The upper portion of the image is blueish, and has wispy translucent cloud-like streaks rising from the nebula below. The orangish cloudy formation in the bottom half varies in density and ranges from translucent to opaque. The stars vary in color, the majority of which have a blue or orange hue. The cloud-like structure of the nebula contains ridges, peaks, and valleys – an appearance very similar to a mountain range. Three long diffraction spikes from the top right edge of the image suggest the presence of a large star just out of view.

Perseverance Rover

Parker Solar Probe

Juno