Take a journey through the darkness of space to the constellation Aquila and witness a spectacular feast of light. Located about 7200 light years from Earth, this nebula is known as the birthplace of massive stars.

Stars born here are so massive that they explode as supernovae at the end of their lives. However, during their formation process, they also influence and shape their surroundings. A protostar in the center of the image offers clues to one of these processes by ejecting a jet of matter towards us.

This image was taken with NASA Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 as part of a study of ionization levels in jets ejected from the protostar in this nebula.

Ionization is a process in which atoms or molecules lose some of their electrons due to being in a high-energy environment and become charged. This study helps us understand the details of these energetic events in the nebula.

Image description:

On the left side of the image, we can see the dark nebula with some dust clouds faintly illuminated by nearby stars. Near the center is a bright orange protostar with a jet of matter streaming outward. Many stars are scattered throughout the image.

 

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Fedriani, J. Tan