Protostars

Protostars
The NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured the actively forming protostar EC 53 (circled at left) in the Serpens Nebula in this image released on Jan. 21, 2026.
Posted January 27, 2026
Astrophysics
Goddard Space Flight Center
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
Protostars
Science & Research
Stars
The Universe
Astronomers have long sought evidence to explain why comets at the outskirts of our own solar system contain crystalline silicates, since crystals require intense heat to form and these “dirty snowballs” spend most of their time in the ultracold Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud. Now, looking outside our solar system, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope […]
Posted January 21, 2026
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
Protostars
Stars
The Universe
Newly developing stars shrouded in thick dust get their first baby pictures in these images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble took these infant star snapshots in an effort to learn how massive stars form. Protostars are shrouded in thick dust that blocks light, but Hubble can detect the near-infrared emission that shines through holes […]
Posted January 17, 2026
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
Protostars
Stars
The Universe
This collection of new images taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope showcases protoplanetary disks, the swirling masses of gas and dust that surround forming stars, in both visible and infrared wavelengths. Through observations of young stellar objects like these, Hubble helps scientists better understand how stars form.
Posted January 15, 2026
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
Protostars
Stars
The Universe
Just-forming stars, called protostars, dazzle a cloudy landscape in the Orion Molecular Cloud complex (OMC). These three new images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope were taken as part of an effort to learn more about the envelopes of gas and dust surrounding the protostars, as well as the outflow cavities where stellar winds and jets […]
Posted January 14, 2026
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
Galaxies
Protostars
Stars
The Milky Way
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will help scientists better understand our Milky Way galaxy’s less sparkly components — gas and dust strewn between stars, known as the interstellar medium.
Posted September 16, 2025
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
Protostars
Stars
Two actively forming stars are responsible for the shimmering hourglass-shaped ejections of gas and dust that gleam in orange, blue, and purple in this representative color image captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. This star system, called Lynds 483, is named for American astronomer Beverly T.
Posted March 24, 2025
Astrophysics
Galaxies, Stars, & Black Holes
Goddard Space Flight Center
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
Nebulae
Protostars
Science & Research
Stars
The Universe
High-resolution near-infrared light captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows extraordinary new detail and structure in Lynds 483 (L483). Two actively forming stars are responsible for the shimmering ejections of gas and dust that gleam in orange, blue, and purple in this representative color image.
Posted March 7, 2025
Astrophysics
Chandra X-Ray Observatory
Galaxies
Galaxies, Stars, & Black Holes
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
Protostars
Science & Research
Stars
The Universe
Discovery proves decades-old theory of galaxy feeding cycle. Researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have finally solved the mystery of how a massive galaxy cluster is forming stars at such a high rate.
Posted February 13, 2025
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
Nebulae
Protostars
Stars
The Universe
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image peers into the dusty recesses of the nearest massive star-forming region to Earth, the Orion Nebula (Messier 42, M42). Just 1,500 light-years away, the Orion Nebula is visible to the unaided eye below the three stars that form the ‘belt’ in the constellation Orion. The nebula is home to […]
Posted January 16, 2025
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