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NASA is celebrating Hubble’s 36th birthday

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with this stunning new image of a shimmering region  

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of star formation:

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a close-up of the Trifid 
Nebula about 5,000 light-years from Earth. 

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 Several massive stars, which are out of frame,

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have shaped this region 
for at least 300,000 years.

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Their powerful winds continue to blow

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a gigantic bubble that pushes 
and compresses material,

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and triggers new waves of star formation.

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This isn’t the first time
Hubble gazed at this scene.

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The telescope observed the Trifid in 1997,

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and now, 29 years later,

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it’s revisiting the same spot.

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Why look at the same location again?

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Because the nebula changes over time,

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and Hubble is also 
now equipped

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with a more sensitive camera that was

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installed during servicing mission four in 2009.

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Hubble’s view of the Trifid Nebula

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focuses on a “head” and undulating “body”

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of a rusty-colored cloud of gas and dust that resembles

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a sea slug gliding through the cosmos.

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The Cosmic Sea Slug’s left “horn” is part of

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Herbig-Haro 399, a jet of plasma periodically

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ejected over centuries by a young protostar.

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 Watch the jet expand:

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 We can see minor changes that allow

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researchers to measure the
speed of outflows like this

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and determine how much energy the protostar

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is injecting into the region.

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These measurements 
will provide insights

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into how newly formed stars

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interact with their surroundings.

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To the immediate lower right is evidence of a 
counter jet:

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jagged orange and red lines that

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”run” down the back of the sea slug’s neck,

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where a natural "V" appears in the brown dust.

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 The darker, more triangular portion

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on the right hosts yet another 
young star at its tip.

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As we zoom in closer, we can see

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a faint red dot with a tiny jet.

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The green arc above it may be evidence that

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a circumstellar disk is being eroded by

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the intense ultraviolet light from nearby massive stars.

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Since the area around this protostar 
is clearer,

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it may be almost finished forming.

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 In Hubble’s visible light observations,

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the clearest view is toward the 
top left, where it’s bluer.

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This is where strong ultraviolet light from massive stars,

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outside this field of view,

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stripped electrons from nearby gas,

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creating a glowing bubble,

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and with stellar winds clearing out surrounding dust.

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At the top, bright yellow gas streams upward.

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This is an example of ultraviolet 
star light

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plowing into the dark brown dust,

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stripping and dismantling the gas and dust.

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Many ridges and slopes of dark brown material

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will remain for a few million years, as the stars’

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ultraviolet light slowly
eats away at the gas.

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The densest areas are home to protostars,

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which are obscured in visible light.

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The far-right corner is nearly pitch black.

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This is where the dust is the densest.

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The stars that appear here may not be

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part of this star-forming region,

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they might be closer to us, in the foreground.

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Now, scan the scene for bright orange orbs.

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These stars have fully formed, clearing the space around them.

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Over millions of years, all of the gas and dust

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that make up the nebula will disappear,

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and only stars will remain.

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Because Hubble orbits above Earth’s 
atmosphere,

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it can give us these clear

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views of the many wonders in our universe.

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For 36 years, the Hubble Space Telescope

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has transformed our view of the universe

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and deepened our understanding of our place within it.

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From refining the estimated age of the cosmos

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to measuring how quickly it’s expanding,

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Hubble has helped answer some of 
astronomy’s biggest questions.

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Happy birthday Hubble,

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here's to another exciting year of discovery ahead!

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[ Slow zoom out of the birthday image. ]

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[ Follow us @NASAHubble ]

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NASA MEATBALL!!!!!!