The Orion Nebula
© Eso/H. Drass et alThis image of the Orion Nebula star-formation region was captured by Eso's Very Large Telescope in Chile. It is the deepest view ever seen of this region and reveals more very faint planetary-mass objects than expected.
Hidden deep within the Orion Nebula is a host of previously unseen faint brown dwarfs - planetary bodies that are the missing link between large planets and small stars.

An international team spotted this treasure trove of planetary bodies after capturing the deepest and most comprehensive view of the nebula to date using the Hawk-I infrared instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT).

The presence of these low-mass bodies provides an 'exciting insight' into the history of how stars formed within the nebula itself and offers clues to how galaxies and stars of different masses evolve.

The Orion Nebula spans 24 light-years within the constellation Orion. It can be seen from Earth with the naked eye as a 'fuzzy patch' in Orion's 'sword'. Some nebulae, like Orion, are strongly illuminated by ultraviolet radiation from the many hot stars born within them, such that the gas is ionised and glows brightly.

Read the rest of the article at Wired.com