To mark Independence Day, NASA has released a James Webb Space Telescope image showing the frenzied eruption of a young star in vibrant red, white and blue.
Similar in shape to an hourglass or a butterfly's wings, the image shows a 100,000-year-old baby star roaring to life inside a gas cloud. Rotating in place, the star is consuming material around its sides while expelling it in vast jets from either pole. RELATED STORIES—Monster black hole may have killed this galaxy's star-forming power, James Webb Telescope reveals