Hubble Space Telescope

Hubble Space Telescope

A new photo by the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed a glowing galaxy packed with young stars and gas clouds, making it an ideal laboratory for astronomers hoping to study star formation and evolution.
The Hubble image shows the dwarf galaxy NGC 4214, which is full of everything from hot, young star-forming regions, to old star clusters and red supergiants. [New photo of dwarf galaxy NGC 4214]

Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3, the telescope's newest camera, captured intricate patterns of glowing ionized hydrogen gas, cavities blown clear of gas by stellar wind, and bright star clusters in this optical and near-infrared image.

A huge heart-shaped cavity — possibly the galaxy's most eye-catching feature — can also be seen at the center of the image. Inside this hole is a large cluster of massive, young stars ranging in temperature from 18,000 to 90,000 degrees Fahrenheit (10,000 to 50,000 degrees Celsius).

It's these strong stellar winds that are responsible for the creation of the large hollow area, researchers explained in a statement. The resulting lack of gas prevents any further star formation from occurring in this region, they added.