thick clouds of dust. This infrared image shows the new stars that illuminate M17; they are buried deep within the clouds of gas and dust. Aided by images like this, astronomers have identified hundreds of previously unknown stars. Over 80 percent of the stars in this image cannot be seen in any visible light image. The imageΓÇÖs brightest areas are young star clusters many times larger than our Sun; their high temperatures are responsible for heating the hydrogen gas in M17 and making it glow.
