NASA Unveils Celestial Fireworks as Official Hubble 25th Anniversary Image
NASA and ESA are celebrating the Hubble Space Telescope's silver anniversary of 25
years in space by unveiling some of nature's own fireworks - a giant cluster of
about 3,000 stars called Westerlund 2. The cluster resides inside a vibrant stellar
breeding ground known as Gum 29, located 20,000 light-years away in the
constellation Carina. The comparatively young, 2-million-year-old star cluster
contains some of our galaxy's hottest, brightest, and most massive stars. The
largest stars are unleashing a torrent of ultraviolet light and hurricane-force winds
that etch away the enveloping hydrogen gas cloud. This creates a fantasy
celestial landscape of pillars, ridges, and valleys.
