It was in a similar area of condensing gas and dust that
our own sun was formed about 4.5 billion years ago. NGC 1333
is the place of new stars, some less than 1 million years old,
just babies in stellar terms. Most of those young stars are still
hidden behind the galactic clouds from which they formed. The light
from one bright star, however, is reflected off some of that dust,
forming the large blue area. In addition, the radiation pouring
from the hidden new stars makes some of the interstellar hydrogen glow
a brilliant red. NGC 1333 is 1000 light years from earth, and can be
found in the constellation Perseus.

Image data:
Camera: SBIG ST-4000XCM
Exposure: 4 hours (10 minutes x 24)
Telescope: 10" Schmidt-Newtonian, Baader MPCC