This unusually large nebula was captured by NASA=s Hubble Space Telescope in multiple exposures that highlight the Astarburst process,@ creating new stars through firestorms. Located in the nearby spiral galaxy M33, the nebula=s gaseous clouds give astronomers the chance to study its structure and how clusters of massive stars affect the evolution of a galaxy. (PR96-27B; credit NASA, Hui Yang, U. of Illinois.)

As part of Spain=s pledge to bring Catholicism to the New World, the mission at Quarai was built in the 1600=s by Indian labor, under Franciscan direction. The church was part of a village complex and convento established along an outlying route to salt deposits in central New Mexico. Too remote for protection against Apache raids, drought and famine, the mission was abandoned before 1680.

Click on the image to return to Quarai.