NASA/ESA's Hubble Space Telescope has released a breathtaking new image of the "monkey head nebula," which is stocked full of shining stars and wispy gas.
The image was released in celebration of Hubble's 24th year in operation, a Hubble news release reported. The telescope often captures photos of nebulae because of their brilliant visual qualities.
The nebula in this photo is called NGC 2174 and is about 6,400 light-years away. A nebula can be thought of as a "star nursery." It provides the material needed for star births and hosts their violent upbringing.
"The recipe for cooking up new stars isn't very efficient and most of the ingredients are wasted as the cloud of gas and dust disperses. This process is accelerated by the presence of fiercely hot young stars which trigger high velocity winds that help to blow the gas outwards," the news release reported.
The image shows a "vibrant palette of colors." The image displays reddish-brown clouds contrasted against a backdrop of electric blue gas. The final image is actually a combination of a number of photos taken with differently-colored filters, revealing a view that would not normally be visible to the human eye.
The image also features both white and pink stars that are working to break away from their cloudy nursery.
The most prevalent ingredient present in the nebula is hydrogen gas, "which is [ionized] by the ultraviolet radiation emitted by the young stars," the news release reported.
Hubble's 24th birthday will also be celebrated with a conference that will take place in Rome, Italy. The conference will highlight the most prominent and fascinating discoveries Hubble has made over the past 20 or so years. The conference leaders will also discuss what NASA has planned for the telescope's future and what question they hope to answer.
