Photo News: Hubble observes a massive star in the making

[Editor's Note] The vastness of the universe has always been a mystery to mankind, and there is no way to know its essence. What modern astronomy recognizes is only the moment of observable change of celestial bodies in human space captured with modern high technology. Scientists seize the observation data at this moment and put forward theories and hypotheses. Like a blind man touching an elephant, it is difficult to get a glimpse of the whole and its essence. . If we only explore the mysteries of the universe in the human space, we will ultimately achieve nothing. I hope readers can think about the true meaning of the universe, the human body, and life from the discoveries of modern astronomy.

This Hubble image is of a relatively nearby star-forming region known as IRAS 16562-3959. Image source: ESA/Hubble&NASA/R. Fedriani/J. Tan

This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is bursting with color and vibrancy. It is a relatively nearby star-forming region known as IRAS 16562-3959, located about 5,900 light-years from Earth in the constellation Scorpius within the Milky Way.

NASA captured this image with the Hubble Wide Field Camera 3. Its color nuances are the result of four separate filters. Thin strips of these highly specialized materials slide in front of the instrument's light sensor, allowing specific wavelengths of light to pass through for each observation. This is useful because certain wavelengths of light can tell us about the composition, temperature and density of the area.

At the center of the image, IRAS 16562-3959 may host a massive star (about 30 times the mass of the Sun) that is still in the process of formation. Shadow clouds appear dark because there is too much dust blocking the near-infrared wavelengths of light that Hubble observes. However, near-infrared light does leak mainly on the sides - upper left and lower right - where dust is cleared away by powerful jets from the massive protostar. Incredible Hubble multiwavelength image scenes like this one can help us better understand how the most massive and brightest stars in the Milky Way form.

source:

https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-views-a-massive-star-forming