NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope captured this image of burning, bubbling star formation in the Cat's Paw Nebula. As gas and dust compress to form stars, the gas around these areas heats up and pressurizes - giving the appearance of bubbles. Radiation from the hot stars also causes these bubbles to glow brightly. Spitzer is an infrared telescope, which can help to see through thick clouds of gas and dust in ways that eyes cannot. Telescopes like Spitzer help to create the most comprehensive and accurate map of galaxy.
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From @lestrange