within the center of the nebula.The Orion Nebula is a spectacular sight. Consequently, it has been a preferred target of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) over recent years. The HST has provided a great deal of insight into the complicated process of star formation. In June of 1994, C. Robert ODell, a Rice University Page 2astronomer, discovered the presence of protoplanetary disks around some stars of the Orion Nebula. After surveying 110 M42 stars, ODell found that 56 of them had disks around them. It has been speculated that the disks identified in the Hubble survey are a missing link in the understanding of how planets, like those in our planetary system, form. 4 According to current theories, the dust contained within the protoplanetary disks eventually condenses to form planets. Furthermore, the abundance of the protoplanetary disks reinforces the assumption that planetary systems are common throughout the universe.The suggestion that the Orion Nebula may eventually lead to planetary formation has become the basis for much discussion. More specifically, Doug Johnstone, an NSERC Post-Doctorate Fellow at the University of Toronto, developed an opposing perspective. At a meeting of the American Astronomical Society, on January 14, 1997, Johnstone suggested that the disks around young cluster stars may not survive long enough for planets to form within them. 5 Furthermore, he concluded that certain favorable conditions must exist in order to promote planetary formation, and that the hostile environment of the Orion Nebula may actually inhibit the creation of planets. With the present limited knowledge of nebulae, no conclusive evidence exists to support either argument.On April 9, 1998, Cornell University astrophysicist Martin Harwit published his discovery of the presence of massive amounts of water in the Orion Nebula. This was the first time that water has been found in a star-forming region. The find demonstrates that...
