A new-born star cloaked in a golden veil stands starkly against the black filament of the Circinus cloud. While it might sound like the beginning of a fantasy novel, this is simply the description of this spectacular Hubble Image

The Space Telescope caught a phenomenal view of a young star, IRAS 14568-6304, as it emerges from the gas cloud that birthed it. And the cloud, which stretches for over 180 light years is being shaped and illuminated by the powerful light of such a young star. It contains enough gas to make 250 000 stars like the Sun.

Our own sun was born in a gas cloud not dissimilar from this one, and this process is what drives the heavy elements’ enrichment of the galaxies. From those elements planets, asteroid and comets form, as well as all of us.