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Bruce Murray Space Image Library

Hubble sees a triple-star system

Hubble sees a triple-star system
Hubble sees a triple-star system The Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of a triple-star system located about 550 light-years away in the constellation Taurus. The top star, HP Tau, hasn’t begun nuclear fusion yet but is beginning to evolve into a hydrogen-fueled star similar to our Sun. It is likely younger than 10 million years old. The stars are surrounded by a reflection nebula, a cloud of gas and dust that shines with the stars' reflected light like fog illuminated by a car's headlights. NASA released the image on May 15, 2024. NASA, ESA, G. Duchene (Universite de Grenoble I); Image Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)