This animation explores the stages in the formation of stars and planets. Within a large, dense cloud, thousands of protostars collapse due to gravity. The infalling material forms a disk around the protostar, with jets emitted perpendicular to the disk. Planets condense and build up within the disk, establishing a new solar system. The Webb Space Telescope’s infrared observations will peer into these dark clouds and dusty disks to examine this formation process with unprecedented clarity.

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, D.Player (STScI), F. Summers (STScI), J. DePasquale (STScI)

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