--- title: "Hubble Gives JWST a Run for Its Money With Gorgeous “Celestial Cloudscape” Photo" description: "NASA's Hubble Space Telescope may be quite a bit older than its successor, but as an incredible new image goes to show, it's still delivering." date: "2022-08-17" modified: "2022-08-17" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/hubble-webb-orion-nebula" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "hubble space telescope" - "JWST" - "Orion" - "the digest" --- # Hubble Gives JWST a Run for Its Money With Gorgeous “Celestial Cloudscape” Photo ![]() *\Image: NASA/ESA\* ## A Star Is Born NASA's Hubble Space Telescope may be quite a bit older than its [groundbreaking successor](), but as an incredible new image of the Orion Nebula goes to show, it's still delivering some mind-blowing new images of the cosmos. This "celestial cloudscape," as the [European Space Agency]() (ESA) refers to it, is what is known as a "Herbig-Haro object," which are the glowing clouds that surround stars as they're born. Herbig-Haro objects, "are formed when stellar winds or jets of gas spewing from these newborn stars form shockwaves colliding with nearby gas and dust at high speeds," according to the ESA. And, needless to say, the resulting composite image of the object is absolutely breathtaking. ![]() ## Close Encounters The gigantic Orion Nebula is one of the most studied objects in space both because of its massive size — it [spans 24 light-years across]() — and because it's only about 1,000 light years away from Earth. In the right conditions, it [can even be seen by the naked eye]() from Earth. Although it's [been photographed on plenty of occasions](), this latest image of the Orion Nebula is actually a composite of a whopping 520 exposures, showcasing an astonishing amount of detail. "The outflows themselves are visible as gracefully curving structures at the top and bottom of this image," the ESA waxes in its description. "Their interaction with the large-scale flow of gas and dust from the core of the nebula distorts them into sinuous curves." Most of us can't muster that kind of flowery, sensuous prose for our significant others, much less for objects further away than we could ever hope to travel in our lifetimes. But then again, most of us aren't astrophysicists, either. **READ MORE:** [Celestial Cloudscape in the Orion Nebula]() \[ESA\] **More on Hubble:** [*NASA Releases Hubble Image of Most Distant Star Ever Seen*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()