The Hubble Space Telescope has captured an image of two young stars, HOPS 150 and HOPS 153, located in the Orion Nebula, approximately 1,300 light-years from Earth. This area is known for its active star formation, hosting hundreds of newborn stars.
HOPS 150, glowing a bright golden red, is situated in the upper-right corner of the image. It consists of a binary system, where two young stars orbit each other, each surrounded by a dusty disk that fuels their growth.
HOPS 153, on the left side of the image, is represented by a colorful jet, indicative of its ongoing evolution.
The image highlights the dynamic processes occurring in star formation. A dark line across the protostars indicates a massive cloud of gas and dust, over 2,000 times wider than the distance from Earth to the sun, which is falling toward them. HOPS 150 is assessed to be midway in its journey to becoming a mature star.
In contrast, HOPS 153 is described as a younger stellar object, still deeply embedded in its birth nebula and surrounded by dense gas that Hubble cannot penetrate. However, the bright jet emitted from HOPS 153 is visible as it interacts with the surrounding material, demonstrating the star's active developmental phase.
This ongoing evolution and the jets produced by these protostars play a critical role in the star formation process, potentially affecting the growth of nearby stars.