A baby star has just been born from a cosmic cloud in a stellar nursery. It looks somewhat unfamiliar to us – slightly smaller than our Sun and with an odd hue. It is an orange dwarf, and it has a long and promising future ahead. Stars similar to our Sun may not be the best ones for hosting life. They only last about ten billion years, after which they become dangerous red giants. Orange dwarfs can live up to five times longer, giving any nearby planets a huge amount of additional time for life to emerge, evolve, and find new ways to thrive.
A baby orange dwarf still surrounded by rags of the cosmic cloud from which it was born