<p><strong>Billowing from the fiery forge at the heart of the Orion Nebula, young stars (shown in red) <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/content/spitzers-orion/#.UtlV7GQo4k-">flee from the more massive ones</a> at the heart of the stellar nursery, revealed in this view from <a href="http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/">NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope</a> released on January 15.</strong></p><p dir="ltr">Spanning some 40 light-years, the infrared image of the nebula is filled with these early "protostars." Astronomers study these youngsters to see how stars such as our own sun were born. (<a href="http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/photos/nebulae-gallery/">See more nebula pictures</a>.)</p><p dir="ltr">One of the red dots along the filaments streaming to the left of the nebula's heart, for example, is a recently discovered protostar, HOPS 68. It is surrounded by sandy dust, future planet-making materials to build worlds around the star.</p><p><em>—Dan Vergano</em></p>