Bow Shock Near a Young Star
Revealing the stunning and intricate treasures that reside within the nearby, intense star-forming region known as the Great Nebula in Orion, the Hubble Space Telescope focused on one such jewel—a bow shock around the very young star, LL Ori. Named for the crescent-shaped wave made by a ship as it moves through water, a bow shock can be created in space when two streams of gas collide. LL Ori emits a vigorous solar wind, a stream of charged particles moving rapidly outward from the star. Our own sun has a less energetic version of this wind that is responsible for auroral displays on the Earth.
