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This is another example of gas and dust getting blown away by radiation from a nearby HUGE star. Radiation from this star is heating up parts of the nebula so much that they glow. The fat column that dominates this image results from clots of actively forming baby stars that make the tip of the column resistant to erosion. There is one long solid dark finger protruding from this tip. It hosts an early baby star at its tip. There is also one wispy finger shooting out to the left. This is a jet escaping from a growing star! Enough of the cloud has been swept away to allow the jet to escape into space. Astronomers calculate that another 10,000 years is necessary before this baby star is exposed and stripped of its food source. Will it have grown to where it can start nuclear fusion? Do you want to wait and see? Next Image!Image credit: Hubble Space Telescope; The main source for HST images and explanations is HubbleSite.org. |
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