A photograph from the Hubble Space Telescope shows part of the scattered star cluster NGC 6530, resembling a smoky curtain dotted with stars. NGC 6530 is located about 4,350 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius, within the larger Lagoon Nebula, which is a vast cluster of gas and dust. It is the nebula that gives the image its distinct smoky appearance, as clouds of interstellar gas and dust stretch across the entire image.
Astronomers studied NGC 6530 using Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2). They combed the region in hopes of discovering proplyds (protoplanetary disks) surrounding newborn stars. The vast majority of proplyds have only been found in one region, the nearby Orion Nebula, making it difficult to understand their origin and lifespan in other astronomical environments.
Hubble’s ability to observe in the infrared range with the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) has made it an indispensable tool for understanding the star formation process and studying exoplanetary systems. In particular, Hubble has played a crucial role in studying proplyds around newly formed stars in the Orion Nebula. The new James Webb Space Telescope (NASA/ESA/CSA), which observes in the infrared range, will complement Hubble’s observations, allowing astronomers to peer through the dust clouds around newborn stars and explore the earliest stages of their formation.