For the Hubble Space Telescope’s 33rd anniversary,
We're taking a closer look at NGC 1333,
one of the closest star forming regions to our solar system.
Located 1000 light years away in the constellation Perseus,
NGC 1333 contains the raw material for building new stars.
Clouds of gas laced with dust reflect starlight.
In some places they are so thick
they hide the light from newborn stars.
Resembling the moon on a cloudy night,
a super hot star shines through filaments of obscuring dust.
In contrast, the wispy blue area exhibits a thinner sheet of dust.
More light from the bright star peeks through and is scattered
by fine dust, giving this section its ethereal blue glow.
The most eye catching portion is the blazing red area,
displaying a tangled mess of stars. Material flowing out
from some of the young stars plow into the surrounding gas and shock it.
This is a dramatic glimpse into what star birth looks like.
While the bold and colorful sections grab attention,
the smallest parts of this image tell some of the biggest stories.
Young stars fire off jets like skyrockets.
They plow into the surrounding dark material like a stream from a garden hose.
The rambunctious nature of these stars suggests to astronomers
that they are likely less than 1 million years old.
NGC 1333 is a vibrant and dynamic region
that offers a glimpse into the early stages of Star and Planet
formation, providing valuable insights into the birth of our
sun, 4.6 billion years ago.