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New stars around Westerlund 2

New stars around Westerlund 2


Date: 23 April 2015
Satellite: Hubble Space Telescope
Depicts: Westerlund 2
Copyright: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), A. Nota (ESA/STScI), and the Westerlund 2 Science Team

The red dots scattered throughout the cosmic landscape captured in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image are a rich population of forming stars that are still wrapped in their gas and dust cocoons.

These stellar foetuses have not yet ignited the hydrogen in their cores to light-up as stars. However, Hubble's near-infrared vision allows astronomers to identify these fledglings. The brilliant blue stars seen throughout the image are mostly in the foreground.

This is a section of the new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image of Westerlund 2 and its surroundings, released to celebrate Hubble's 25th anniversary.

Last Update: 1 September 2019
29-Mar-2024 10:35 UT

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https://sci.esa.int/s/wQ9O1Kw

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