This star, which is 10 million times more radiant than our Sun, was discovered in the center of our galaxy where it was hidden from visible light telescopes by thick dust. In the image you can see two expanding shells of gas being ejected by the star in one of the largest stellar eruptions ever seen. Because it is so large and radiates so intensely, part of its outer atmosphere is being blown off. The material being ejected from Wolf-Rayet 104 is swept into a spiral pattern by the stellar winds of both stars. One class of stars, the Mira variables, emit most of their radiation in the infrared.
Stars are often form in groups called star clusters.
The stars in a cluster will usually move slowly away from each other as they age. Many new star clusters are still partially hidden by the dust and gas leftover from star formation, making them more difficult to view in visible light. Infrared light, however, can penetrate this dust and provide us with a deeper view of the cluster. The image to the right is an infrared view of the Quintuplet Star Cluster which lies near the center of our Milky Way Galaxy. Since the center of our galaxy is a very dusty place, infrared observations are often the best way to view objects embedded in and hidden by this dust.