Oxon Hill, MarylandThe constellation Orion, the hunter, stamps one of the brightest and most recognizable patterns of stars into the northern sky. But the faint jewel sparkling in the middle of Orion’s sword is no ordinary stellar gem—it’s a huge, blustery nebula that’s furiously birthing stars. Now, you can fly through Orion’s gleaming cosmic cradle in 3-D.

By combining visible and infrared images taken by the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, and adding a sprinkle of Hollywood stardust, a team led by Frank Summers of the Space Telescope Science Institute crafted this three-minute journey through the faraway cloud. It takes you through the gossamer shell of the nebula and into the cavernous region where stars are born, and where pinpricks of light