Subscribe to one of our news e-mail lists . Gas jets from young star group extend 12 light-years.
Solo star is on left edge of white blob.
Binary stars appear as red point of light below. Between them lies a dark horizontal bar, the torus. Three young stars have been kicked out of their cosmic nursery, perhaps for engaging in a gravitational brawl, according to Hubble Space Telescope scientists, who released images of the trio on Wednesday. Two of the newborns remain in a tightly knit binary star system orbit, but the third left their company altogether, said Hubble researchers. Observations of the three could shed light on what determines the masses of stars.