The Week in Pictures: April 13 – April 18, 2014. Part 5/5

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image released April 14, 2014 shows what appears to be a bright blue tadpole swimming through the blackness of space. Known as IRAS 20324+4057, but dubbed “the Tadpole”, this clump of gas and dust has given birth to a bright, “protostar”, one of the earliest steps in building a star. There are actually multiple protostars within this tadpole's “head”, but the glowing yellow one in this image is the most luminous and massive. When this protostar has gathered together enough mass from its surroundings, it will eventually emerge as a fully-fledged young star. The intense blue glow is caused by nearby stars firing ultraviolet radiation at IRAS 20324+4057, which also sculpts its tail into a long, wiggly shape. In total, this clump spans roughly a light-year from head to tail-tip, and contains gas weighing almost four times the mass of the sun. (Photo by AFP Photo/NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team)
The Week in Pictures: April 13 – April 18, 2014. Part 5/5
   
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