Hubble's 25th anniversary image has been released --
star cluster Westerlund 2. It's a stellar nursery in the constellation Carina, and contains some of the brightest, hottest and most massive stars ever discovered. As is typical of stellar nurseries, it's surrounded by dust. Although this makes observing difficult (or impossible) in visible light, Hubble can also “see†in infrared which can penetrate the dust.
The radiation and winds from the hot young stars erode the gas to form the pillars. (This is also happening the famous “Pillars of Creation,†Hubble's image of the Eagle Nebula.) In addition, the winds create shocks when they hit the walls of gas. This sets off a new wave of star formation. The red dots scattered around are stars that are still forming and not yet hot enough to establish hydrogen fusion.
You can find out more about
Starbirth by clicking here.