10 mesmerising images of star formation captured by NASA

Cepheus B, a molecular cloud located in our Milky Galaxy about 2,400 light years from the Earth, provides an excellent model to determine how stars are formed

This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is a relatively close star-forming region known as IRAS 16562-3959.

NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission captured this mosaic of the Heart and Soul nebulae.

This image combines data from four space telescopes to create a multi-wavelength view of all that remains of RCW 86, the oldest documented example of a supernova.

This image from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory shows the location of different elements in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant including silicon (red), sulfur (yellow), calcium (green) and iron (purple).

This image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Cat's Paw Nebula, so named for the large, round features that create the impression of a feline footprint.

A new composite image of the Crab Nebula features X-rays from Chandra (blue and white), optical data from Hubble (purple), and infrared data from Spitzer (pink).

NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) detected the magnetic field streamlines shown over this image of the Keyhole Nebula, part of the larger Carina Nebula, captued by the European Southern Observatory 3.6-metre telescope on La Silla.

Astronomers combined several Hubble Space Telescope images to create this view of the Pillars of Creation, which are about 5 light-years tall.

The star-forming nebula W51 is one of the largest "star factories" in the Milky Way galaxy.