A new Hubble Picture of the Week highlights an enormous region of space where stars are actively being born. The image centers on N159, a massive cloud made mostly of cold hydrogen gas. Hydrogen is the most common element in the universe and the primary building block of stars. This cloud lies about 160,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Dorado, far beyond our own galaxy.
N159 resides within the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy that is the largest of the smaller galaxies orbiting the Milky Way. Because it is relatively close in cosmic terms, astronomers can study star formation there in remarkable detail. N159 stands out as one of the most massive and active regions of star birth within this neighboring galaxy.
The Enormous Scale of the N159 Cloud
The Hubble image captures only a fraction of the full N159 complex. When viewed in its entirety, this sprawling structure extends across more than 150 light-years of space. A single light year represents the distance light travels in one year, so the full cloud is nearly 10 million times farther across than the distance between Earth and the Sun. Sizes like this help explain why such regions can produce large numbers of stars over millions of years.
How Stars Form Inside Cold Gas Clouds
Deep inside N159, temperatures drop far below freezing, and gravity steadily pulls the gas inward. As the cloud collapses under its own weight, dense pockets form and eventually ignite nuclear reactions, marking the birth of new stars. These newborn stars begin to shine while still embedded in the gas and dust that created them.
The hottest and most massive young stars emit intense energy that causes nearby hydrogen gas to glow red. This color comes from hydrogen atoms that have been energized by starlight. The Hubble Space Telescope is especially good at detecting this specific glow, allowing astronomers to trace where star formation is most active.
Stellar Feedback and Expanding Gas Bubbles
Not all young stars remain hidden within thick clouds. Some appear wrapped in reddish gas, while others sit at the center of large hollow regions that look like bubbles carved into the cloud. These structures form through a process known as stellar feedback.
As young stars grow brighter, they release powerful radiation and fast-moving streams of charged particles called stellar winds. Together, these forces heat and push away surrounding gas, clearing cavities and reshaping the cloud itself. Over time, this feedback can slow down or even stop new star formation nearby while triggering it in other areas.
A New View Using Expanded Wavelengths
Hubble previously released an image of the entire N159 region in 2016. The newer version adds observations taken at an additional wavelength of light. This enhancement allows astronomers to better highlight the hot gas surrounding newborn stars, offering a clearer picture of how young stars interact with their environment and transform their cosmic birthplace.
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