Tenn. - In 1993, when the Hubble Space Telescope surveyed the Orion nebula for the first time, its images provided a substantial boost for the argument that stars with planetary systems are commonplace in the galaxy. Now, however, the most recent analyses of one the youngest, closest and brightest nebulae cast doubt on that conclusion and suggest that planets may be far rarer than astronomers have thought. The Orion nebula is the closest example of a stellar nursery.
Stellar nurseries are special regions where the vast majority of new stars in the galaxy are born.
Interstellar clouds of molecular gas form, produce thousands of new stars and then gradually dissipate. The nebula in Orion is 1,500 light years from Earth and six light years or 35 trillion miles across. It forms the second point of light in the hunter's scabbard in the Orion constellation. The Trapezium Cluster at the nebula's center contains more than 1,500 stars. Four massive young stars illuminate the nebula, making it possible to observe many objects that would normally be invisible.