Spectacular supernova explosions have been known to shape the structure of galaxies for a long time. But recently, scientists have discovered that massive stars influence their environments throughout their lifetimes — not only when they go supernova. In the Orion Nebula — a nearby stellar nursery — young, massive stars are flooding their birth clouds with ultraviolet radiation.  

One such region within the nebula where this is happening is the Orion Bar, a ridge-like feature of gas and dust that is being sculpted by the intense radiation from neighboring hot, young stars. In reality, the Orion Bar is not really a "bar" at all. Instead, it contains a lot of structure and several distinct zones. For the first time, Webb will be able to separate and study these different zones' physical conditions.