One of the most studied areas of the sky is the Orion Nebula.
It sits between the stars and is so bright that it can be seen with the naked eye.
It is one of the most important targets for observing star formation because it is so close. Since it was discovered in 1610, we've been looking at it, but we haven't found all the answers.
The most powerful telescope ever built has given us a new look into the heart of the constellation.
Astronomers say that the new images obtained by the James Webb Space Telescope are the most detailed and sharp we've seen thus far. We are expecting to learn something new about this amazing part of the universe.
We were amazed by the images of the constellation. The Western University in Canada has been waiting more than five years for the data from the project.
New observations allow us to better understand how massive stars change the gas and dust cloud in which they are born. Massive young stars emit large quantities of ultraviolet radiation directly into the native cloud that still surrounds them, and this changes the physical shape of the cloud.
It is not known how this works and how it affects further star and planet formation.
The process of star formation is very dusty. Baby stars are born from dense clumps of dust and gas that collapse under gravity and form a disk as the star spins.
The very nature of this process makes it difficult to see what's inside.
The longer wavelength of IR light is able to penetrate dust and give us a view into regions that are impossible to see in the shorter wavelength.
Scientists are excited to use the telescope to study star formation and learn more about the process that has previously been difficult to see.
There is a structure called the Orion Bar that runs from the top left to the bottom right. The light from a cluster of young, hot stars called the Trapezium cluster illuminates the scene from the top right corner.
When wind or radiation from a stellar object pushes material away, it's called feedback. The shapes and structures in the cloud have been captured in the new picture.
A young star with a disk of material around it is one of the objects in the image. The radiation from the stars is causing that disk to evaporate. There are nearly 180 proplyds that have been found in the observatory.
One of the stars in the image is called 2 Orionis A, and it is part of a multiple-star system. 2 is a triple-star system.
The naked eye can only see 2 Orionis A in regions unaffected by light pollution. It is over 100,000 times brighter than the Sun.
The light is bouncing off the dust.
We see a lot of dense filaments. A new generation of stars may be promoted by these structures. An astronomer at the Institute of Space Astrophysics in France says that there are already stellar systems in formation.
Young stars with a disk of dust and gas in which planets are formed are seen in the nebula. New stars being blown by the intense radiation and stellar winds of newborn stars are visible to the naked eye.
Deeper analysis will give us a better idea of the many processes that are happening in this image. Our Solar System is thought to have been born in an environment similar to the Orion Nebula, so these future studies could reveal more information about how our Sun formed and the stardust that made up Earth and all the planets.
"We have never been able to see the intricate fine details of how interstellar matter is structured in these environments, and to figure out how planetary systems can form in the presence of this harsh radiation."
The images show the heritage of the medium in the planets.
We'll be waiting for those results. You can get full-size images from the website of the Early Release Science program.
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