This spectacular Hubble image is the Orion Nebula. This is the closest major star-forming region to Earth at a distance of about 1500 light years.

The Orion Nebula is an enormous cloud of dust and gas where many new stars are forming. Its bright, central region is home to four massive, young stars, known as the Trapezium because they are arranged in a trapezoidal shape, shaping the nebula.

This image, created using 520 different Hubble exposures taken at multiple wavelengths of light, is the clearest image of the Orion Nebula ever obtained.

Image description:

This vast, cloudy cosmic landscape features large clouds glowing in pink, yellow, orange and brown colours. Some large, bright stars can be seen shining within the clouds, and other foreground stars are scattered throughout the image.