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Celebrate the Chinese New Year With This Shot of the Monkey Head Nebula

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A view of the Monkey Head Nebula, released on March 17, 2014. Otherwise known as NGC 2174, the nebula is a cloud of gas and dust that lies about 6400 light-years away in the constellation of Orion. Nebulas like this one are popular targets for Hubble, their colourful plumes of gas and fiery bright stars create ethereally beautiful pictures.
A view of the Monkey Head Nebula, released on March 17, 2014. Otherwise known as NGC 2174, the nebula is a cloud of gas and dust that lies about 6400 light-years away in the constellation of Orion. Nebulas like this one are popular targets for Hubble, their colourful plumes of gas and fiery bright stars create ethereally beautiful pictures.NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team
By Julia Zorthian

The Chinese New Year was already a worldwide celebration, and now the festivities are as far-reaching as outer space.

Monday marks the first day of celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year, which ushers in the Year of the Monkey. In honor of the new year, here is a photo of the Monkey Head Nebula, as spied from the Hubble Telescope.

The image shows a scattering of new stars amidst swirling dust and cosmic gas that make the nebula a birthplace for new stars. The European Space Agency calls it a “violent stellar nursery”—making the Monkey Head Nebula all the more representative of the fresh start a new year brings.

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Write to Julia Zorthian at julia.zorthian@time.com