The origin of the Universe and its primary visual component—the stars—have fascinated astronomers throughout history. Scientists tell us the size of a star has considerable impact on how long it lives. A star’s color is also an indicator of how hot it is. Using these two criteria, much can be learned from a careful examination of the myriad of stars in the night sky.

“CLOUDS OF FIRE” explores the cycle of star birth and death and the inner workings of star cluster formations that lead to the formation of stars out of clouds of dust and gas. Over five billion years ago, our own solar system was formed out of such dust. The planets, sun, comets, asteroids and even the atoms and molecules of living things all had their origin in the stars.