The haunting beauty of new-born stars: Incredible image gives an unprecedented glimpse into a tumultuous stellar cluster 5,500 light-years away

  • New image shows the intricate pattern of gas, dust and star-forming hubs that are part of a stellar cluster
  • Orange and red region show denser portions of the interstellar medium - essentially a mixture of gas and dust 
  • The glowing blue and violet gas is set ablaze by the powerful light emitted by newborn stars in their vicinity
  • Image was captured by the HAWK-I infrared imager mounted on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile 
An incredible new image captured using infrared light gives an insight into the haunting beauty of stars being born in a stellar nursery.
The striking image shows the intricate pattern of gas, dust and star-forming hubs that are part of a tumultuous stellar cluster 5,500 light-years away, known as RCW 38.
The visible orange and red region show denser portions of the interstellar medium – the mixture of gas and dust in the galaxy.
The glowing blue and violet gas is set ablaze by the powerful light emitted by newborn stars in their vicinity.
The image was captured by the HAWK-I infrared imager mounted on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. The visible orange and red region show denser portions of the interstellar medium - the mixture of gas and dust in the galaxy. The glowing blue and violet gas is set ablaze by the powerful light emitted by newborn stars in their vicinity
The image was captured by the HAWK-I infrared imager mounted on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. The visible orange and red region show denser portions of the interstellar medium - the mixture of gas and dust in the galaxy. The glowing blue and violet gas is set ablaze by the powerful light emitted by newborn stars in their vicinity
Released on July 11 by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), this star cluster contains hundreds of young, hot, massive stars and is located near the constellation Vela (The Sails).
The image was captured by the HAWK-I infrared imager mounted on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile.
The central area of RCW 38 is visible here as a bright, blue-tinted region, an area inhabited by numerous very young stars and protostars still in the process of forming.
The intense radiation pouring out from these newly-born stars causes the surrounding gas to glow brightly.
This is in stark contrast to the streams of cooler cosmic dust winding through the region, which glow gently in dark shades of red and orange.
These concentrations of matter, often arranged in long, thread-like structures, are the sites where future generations of stars will form.
Previous images of this region (pictured) taken in optical wavelengths are strikingly different - the images appear emptier of stars due to dust and gas blocking our view of the cluster. Observations in the infrared, however, allow us to peer through the dust that obscures this view and delve into the heart of this star cluster
Previous images of this region (pictured) taken in optical wavelengths are strikingly different - the images appear emptier of stars due to dust and gas blocking our view of the cluster. Observations in the infrared, however, allow us to peer through the dust that obscures this view and delve into the heart of this star cluster
'RCW 38 is an "embedded" cluster, in that the nascent cloud of dust and gas still envelops its stars,' according to the European Southern Observatory (ESO).
'There, young, titanic stars bombard fledgling suns and planets with powerful winds and large amount of light, helped in their devastating task by short-lived, massive stars that explode as supernovae.
'In some cases, this energetic onslaught cooks away the matter that may eventually form new planetary systems'.
Scientists believe our own Solar System emerged from a similarly dramatic environment.
Previous images of this region taken in optical wavelengths are strikingly different – the images appear emptier of stars due to dust and gas blocking our view of the cluster.
Observations in the infrared enable scientists to peer through the dust that previously obscured this view, delving into the heart of the star cluster.
HAWK-I has many scientific roles, including obtaining images of nearby galaxies or large nebulae, as well as individual stars and exoplanets.
This image was captured as part of a series of test observations.
In May, a new image and video gave a glimpse into a neighbouring nebula.
Glowing brightly about 160,000 light-years away, the Tarantula Nebula is the most spectacular feature of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our Milky Way.
The Tarantula, which is also known as 30 Doradus, is the brightest and most energetic star-forming region in the Local Group of galaxies.
It spans more than 1,000 light-years and is located in the constellation of Dorado (The Dolphinfish) in the far southern sky.
In May, a new image and video gave a glimpse into a neighbouring nebula. Glowing brightly about 160 000 light-years away, the Tarantula Nebula is the most spectacular feature of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our Milky Way
In May, a new image and video gave a glimpse into a neighbouring nebula. Glowing brightly about 160 000 light-years away, the Tarantula Nebula is the most spectacular feature of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy to our Milky Way

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