In the W5 star-forming region, the oldest stars (blue dots) reside at the centers of two hollow cavities (other blue dots are background and foreground stars). Younger stars (pink dots) line the rims of the cavities, and some can be seen dots at the tips of the elephant-trunk-like pillars. The very youngest stars are forming in the white knotty areas, with heated dust (red) pervading the region's cavities. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA
