Colorful outflows from young protostars in Orion the Hunter plunge into the thick dust of a molecular cloud in this new infrared image.

| Published: October 20, 2026

A small slice of the molecular cloud known as OMC-2 in Orion explodes to life in this new JWST image. Young protostars and their powerful outflows highlight a region chock full of cold gas and dust. Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, T. Megeath (University of Toledo), M. Zamani (ESA/Webb); Acknowledgement: M. H. Özsaraç

Few sights thrill backyard observers as much as the Orion Nebula (M42). The brightest stellar nursery visible from mid-northern latitudes resolves into a complex web of luminous gas and dusty tendrils even through modest telescopes. And at its core, you’ll see the brilliant young stars of the Trapezium Cluster that provide the energy to set the nebula aglow.

Astronomers likewise study M42, looking for clues about how stars form. But not all of them focus on the glowing clouds that so enamor visual observers.…