Hubble Space Telescope catches a protostar in the reflection nebula IC 2631. Credit: NASA, ESA, T. Megeath (University of Toledo), and K. Stapelfeldt (Jet Propulsion Laboratory); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America).
Stars are born from clouds of gas and dust that collapse under their own gravitational destination. As the cloud collapses, a dense, hot core types and begins gathering dust and gas, creating an item called a “protostar.”.
This Hubble infrared image captures a protostar designated J1672835.29-763111.64 in the reflection nebula IC 2631, part of the Chamaeleon star-forming region in the southern constellation Chamaeleon. Protostars shine with the heat energy released by clouds contracting around them and the build-up of product from the close-by gas and dust. Ultimately, sufficient material collects, and the core of a protostar ends up being thick and hot enough for nuclear fusion to begin, and the change into a star is complete. The leftover gas and dust can end up being planets, asteroids, comets, or remain as dust.
This image belongs to a Hubble survey targeting 312 protostars within molecular clouds previously related to the Spitzer and Herschel infrared space observatories. Protostars are noticeable mainly in infrared light since they give off a lot of heat energy, and their noticeable light is obscured by the dust around them. Hubbles sophisticated infrared abilities might much better resolve the protostars and examine their structure, consisting of the accumulating gas and dust and faint companion things.
Hubbles sharp eye captures a protostar designated J1672835.29-763111.64 in the reflection nebula IC 2631. Credit: NASA, ESA, T. Megeath (University of Toledo), K. Stapelfeldt (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), and ESO; Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America).
By NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center
November 19, 2021