Dust and starlight, including NGC 1333 and IC 348.

NGC 1333 is home to a large population of young stellar objects and protostars that are in the early stages of stellar evolution. The light from these nascent stars scatters the surrounding dust particles, creating the nebula's characteristic bluish hue. Turbulence from stellar winds and outflows contributes to the formation of dark, twisting lanes of obscuring dust and complex structures typical of a young and active star-forming region. In short, these regions are stellar nurseries where stars and planets form amidst dark, complex dust structures, and we, among others, are eyewitnesses to these incredible processes on a cosmic scale.