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  Stellar jets in the Carina Nebula  

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Uploaded: 09/10/09 5:53 AM GMT
Stellar jets in the Carina Nebula
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This full-field image of a stellar jet in the Carina Nebula - taken in visible light - shows the tip of the 3-light-year-long pillar, bathed in the glow of light from hot, massive stars off the top of the image. Scorching radiation and fast winds (streams of charged particles) from these stars are sculpting the pillar and causing new stars to form within it.

Surrounding the stellar nursery is a treasure chest full of stars, most of which cannot be seen in the visible-light image because dense gas clouds veil their light. Hubble's new Wide Field Camera 3 observed the Carina Nebula following its upgrade during Servicing Mission 4. The composite image was made from filters that isolate emission from iron, magnesium, oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team

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