Orion Nebula

Some were gaseous, star-forming regions, such as the Orion nebula, or M42 – the 42nd object in Messier’s catalog – while others were star clusters such as the Pleiades, or M45.

She added: "On a clear night, you can just about spot this process happening in real time with the Orion Nebula -- a large, star-forming region in our galaxy and the closest of its kind to Earth -- where you can see some stars that were formed recently and others that are still forming."

In the Orion Nebula, the scientists found that, due to the intense irradiation from massive stars, a Jupiter-like planet would not be able to form in the planetary system d203-506.

Astronomers are used to taking pictures of our galaxy's star factories, like the Orion Nebula and the Carina Nebula, she explains.

It’s possible they were born like stars, arising directly from the gas in the Orion nebula, but that would be weird, too.