Photos: A stunning view of Orion Nebula

At the 207th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, running through Jan. 12 in Washington, scientists showed off the latest (and sharpest) view of the Orion Nebula, the nearest star formation region to the Earth. The image, taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, shows more than 3,000 stars, some of which have never been seen in visible light. The stars reside in a dramatic dust-and-gas landscape of plateaus, mountains and valleys that are reminiscent of the Grand Canyon.

The Hubble Spacecraft. Astronomers used 520 Hubble Space Telescope images to create their picture of Orion Nebula.