3D journey through the Orion Nebula

Astronomers and visualisation specialists have combined visible observations from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope with the infrared vision of NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope to create an unprecedented, three-dimensional, fly-through of the picturesque Orion Nebula, a nearby star-forming region.

The three-dimensional video takes the viewer on a breathtaking flight. It follows contours of colourful dust and gas — past newborn stars, glowing clouds heated by intense radiation, and tadpole-shaped gaseous envelopes surrounding protoplanetary disks.

Hubble sees objects that glow in visible light, which are typically hotter than the objects that Spitzer is sensitive to. Spitzer’s infrared vision pierces through obscuring dust to see stars embedded deep in the nebula, as well as fainter and less massive stars, which are brighter in infrared light than in visible. The new visualisation demonstrates how two telescopes can work together to provide a more complex and complete picture of an astronomical object.