Fly through space and time to a dense cluster of budding stars and planets 5,500 light years away in this video collage.
The young stars of RCW 38 are enshrouded in thick clouds of dust and gas, which create powerful winds that whip around nascent suns and planets. Researchers have determined that most stars in the universe formed inside this type of matter-rich "embedded cluster," and astronomers think our own Solar System probably formed in a chaotic environment much like this one.
The movie is a compilation of images captured by a range of telescopes from the European Southern Observatory. It starts with a wide angle view from an amateur telescope, then goes to an image taken by the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at La Silla, and finishes with a view from a special adaptive optics instrument attached to ESO's Very Large Telescope.
Video: ESO, Digitized Sky Survey 2, A. Fujii. Music by John Dyson from the CD Darklight.
See Also:
- Newly-Discovered Dwarf Galaxy Could Unveil Keys to Star Formation ...
- Simulate Star Clusters with Second Life Mod
- Spectacular Space Photo of the Christmas Tree Cluster
- Hubble Finds Crystal-Clear View of Young Star Cluster
- Hubble Snaps New Star Birth Photos During 100000th Orbit
- Hubble Captures Images of Rare Mammoth Stars
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