Hubble Spies a Cosmic Caterpillar

Posted on August 30, 2013

The "caterpillar" in this Hubble image is a light-year-long knot of interstellar gas and dust. The knot, IRAS 20324+4057, is a protostar. The object is 4,500 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. The Hubble Site says harsh winds from bright O-type stars stars are blasting ultraviolet radiation at the protostar and causing it to form into the long caterpillar-like shape.

You can see a larger version of the image here.