11 October 2007
Thousands of sparkling young stars reside in a giant nebula, known as NGC 3603. This cosmic "jewel box" is one of the most massive young star clusters in our Galaxy.
NGC 3603 is an active star-birth region, located 20,000 light years away in the Carina spiral arm of our Galaxy. This new image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (HST) shows a young star cluster surrounded by a vast cosmic cloud of dust and gas. The image reveals early stages in stellar evolution.
Powerful ultraviolet radiation and fast stellar winds from luminous stars have blown a gigantic bubble around the cluster. Illuminating the surrounding nebula, this radiation sculpted the tall, dark stalks of dense gas, which are embedded within the nebula. These gaseous monoliths are a few light-years in extent and point to the central cluster. The stalks may be forming new stars.
On a smaller scale, a cluster of dark clouds called "Bok" globules resides at the top, right corner. These clouds are composed of dense dust and gas and are about 10 to 50 times more massive than the Sun. Resembling an insect's cocoon, a Bok globule may be collapsing under gravity to form new stars.
NGC 6303 was discovered by Sir John Herschel in 1834. The image spans roughly 17 light-years and was taken 29 December 2005 with the Advanced Camera for Surveys.
Further Reading
The Hubble Site
http://hubblesite.org/
Aymen Mohamed Ibrahem
Senior Astronomy Specialist