Life cycle of stars

The very energetic radiation from young hot stars in the star cluster NGC 3603 is bursting into colder gas and dust making the gas glow. The radiation from the stars has blown a 'bubble' around the cluster free from gas. This Hubble Space Telescope image captures various stages of the life-cycle of stars in one single view. It illustrates the entire stellar life cycle of stars, starting with the Bok globules and giant gaseous pillars, followed by circumstellar disks, and progressing to evolved massive stars in the young starburst cluster. The blue supergiant with its ring and bipolar outflow marks the end of the life-cycle.The colour difference between the supergiant's bipolar outflow and the diffuse interstellar medium in the giant nebula dramatically visualises the enrichment in heavy elements due to synthesis of heavier elements within stars.