Hubble revisits stunning Trifid Nebula after 30 years, and spots a growing jet of energy - Space photo of the week

Key Points:

• The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a new, detailed image of the Trifid Nebula (Messier 20), a star-forming region 5,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius, showcasing colorful glowing ridges and structures shaped by massive young stars.
• This image, taken 29 years after Hubble's first photo of the same scene in 1997, uses the more advanced Wide Field Camera 3, allowing scientists to observe changes such as the expansion of a jet of energetic gas from a baby star within the nebula.
• The nebula features regions where ultraviolet radiation from massive stars erodes gas and dust, creating glowing areas and revealing stellar winds that have cleared dust, with some parts appearing nearly pitch-black due to dense dust.
• The observation of jets and expanding material in the nebula helps researchers estimate the energy young stars inject into their surroundings, advancing understanding of star formation and nebula evolution.
• This release coincides with Hubble's 36th anniversary and highlights its enhanced imaging capabilities, alongside the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's first images of the Trifid Nebula, contributing to ongoing astronomical discoveries.