This image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope shows nebula NGC 3603, a young star cluster surrounded by a vast region of dust and gas. Thousands of dazzling young stars nestle within one of the most massive young star clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration

This prominent star-forming region lies in the Carina spiral arm of the Milky Way, about 20,000 light-years away.

Ultraviolet radiation and winds from the bluest and hottest stars have pushed nebular gas away. Pillars of dense gas, embedded in the walls of the nebula, stretch a few light-years in height, and might incubate new stars.

At the top right lies a relatively small cluster of dark clouds called "Bok globules." These clouds are composed of dense dust and gas, and are about 10 to 50 times more massive than the Sun. A Bok globule may be undergoing a gravitational collapse on its way to forming new stars.

Sir John Herschel first discovered the nebula in 1834. This image spans roughly 17 light-years.

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A mere 20,000 light-years from the Sun lies NGC 3603, a resident of the nearby Carina spiral arm of our Milky Way Galaxy. NGC 3603 is well known to astronomers as one of the Milky Way's largest star-forming regions. The central open star cluster contains thousands of stars more massive than our Sun, stars that likely formed only one or two million years ago in a single burst of star formation. In fact, nearby NGC 3603 is thought to contain a convenient example of the massive star clusters that populate much more distant starburst galaxies. Surrounding the cluster are natal clouds of glowing interstellar gas and obscuring dust, sculpted by energetic stellar radiation and winds. Recorded by the Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys, the image spans about 17 light-years.
Acknowledgment: J. Maiz Apellaniz (Inst. Astrofisica Andalucia) et al., & Davide de Martin (skyfactory.org)

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