NASA scientists have released a stunning new image that looks like an hourglass on fire.
In actuality, it’s a fiery protostar that emerged from the dark cloud L1527, photographed by the James Webb Space Telescope.
Tracking the formation of stars could give astronomers more insight into how our own Sun and solar system may have looked in their early stages.
While the star itself is hidden from view in the “neck” of the hourglass shape, a glimpse of it can be seen as a dark line across the middle of the neck.
Light from the star is leaking out, creating an illumination within nearby gas and dust.
James Webb was successfully able to capture this normally elusive view through its Near-Infrared Camera.
The clouds in the Taurus star-forming region can only be viewed in infrared light.