Nebulae
Trapezium Cluster in the Orion Nebula
August 24, 2000 · ESA/Hubble · Messier 42 , Orion Nebula , Trapezium Cluster · Orion
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Appearing like glistening precious stones, the Trapezium cluster's central region is here seen through the eyes of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. All of the celestial objects in the Trapezium were born together in this hotbed of star formation. The cluster is named for the trapezoidal alignment of those central massive stars.
Probing deep within a neighborhood stellar nursery, NASA / ESA Hubble Space Telescope uncovered a swarm of newborn brown dwarfs. The orbiting observatory's near-infrared camera revealed about 50 of these objects throughout the Orion Nebula's Trapezium cluster about 1, 500 light-years from Earth.