The Orion nebula, the most studied star cluster space, actually is a complex mixture of two star clusters, as shown by new research. Using high-resolution images taken by the camera MegaCam telescope Canada-France-Hawaii, astronomers have identified a massive cluster of young stars in NGC 1980 and were able to more precisely to separate education from the primary accumulation of the Orion nebula.

The technique, based on combination of optical and infrared data allows astronomers to allocate stars located only in the foreground of the nebula. This technique also allowed scientists to display a smaller star clusters, located next door and called L1641W.

Although astronomers knew about the presence of specific clusters of stars in the foreground of the nebula since the 1960's, new observations have shown that the accumulation of much more massive than previously thought, and that the stars are distributed very unevenly. Most of the stars are concentrated around the star Iota screaming at the southern end of the sword of Orion.

The importance of this discovery is two things. First, star clusters, which turned out to be a separate cluster, just a little older than his brother, clusters Line, located in the heart of the Orion nebula. Secondly, what astronomers called the Orion nebula, is actually two mixed clusters.

Scientists are sure that working with the Orion nebula is not finished yet, and they still have a long time to observe it, to learn more about the stars and a better understanding of what occurs on this section of the sky and how stars form star clusters, and to learn more about the early stages of the formation of planets.