A star is born - an awesome occasion captured in one of the most amazing pictures of the Universe ever seen.
This image of stars forming 7,500 light years away has been released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Hubble space telescope.
Towers of cool hydrogen laced with dust rise from the wall of the nebula which is three light years high. The top of the pillar, in the Carina Nebula galaxy, is being eaten away by light from nearby stars and also being pushed apart from within as infant stars fire off jets of gas.
The Royal Astronomical Society said: "Astronomy's in a golden age.. Hubble's playing a great role in this."
