The Hubble space telescope has been orbiting above the earth since 1990. For nearly 30 years it has been making discoveries and recording galactic events. From capturing the birth and death of stars to showing the farthest galaxies yet seen, NASA estimates Hubble to have made over a million observations.
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One of those was the birth of a new star last February 15, 2019. They posted on their official Facebook page a capture of the image with the caption: “A star is born and we have the pictures to prove it! NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured the smoking gun of a newborn star within a reflection nebula that’s full of gas and dust. Take a closer look at what’s happening a thousand light-years away from our home planet.”
https://www.facebook.com/NASA/photos/a.67899501771/10156932479726772/?type=3&theater
NASA explains the image further by saying:
In this image, Hubble has captured the smoking gun of a newborn star, the Herbig–Haro objects numbered 7 to 11 (HH 7–11). These five objects, visible in blue in the top center of the image, lie within NGC 1333, a reflection nebula full of gas and dust found about a thousand light-years away from Earth.
While Hubble has certainly made more momentous discoveries (like detecting black holes or unearthing dark energy) the birth of a new star shouldn’t be discounted. Apart from the simple beauty which the event radiates, each observation is a step closer to understanding the universe and how it works.
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