National Aeronautics and Space Administration scientists aimed Hubble, now in its 18th year of exploration, at the Tarantula nebula, located about 170,000 light years from Earth.

"The region is a firestorm of raw stellar creation, perhaps triggered by a nearby supernova explosion," NASA said, noting the nebula is "one of the most active star-forming regions in our local group of galaxies."

The image taken by Hubble "reveals dramatic ridges and valleys of dust, serpent-head 'pillars of creation,' and gaseous filaments glowing fiercely under torrential ultraviolet radiation," the U.S. space agency said.

"This morning, the greatest scientific instrument since Galileo's telescope has reached another great milestone -- its 100,000th orbit around the Earth," said Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., chairwoman of the subcommittee that funds NASA.

She noted NASA is preparing the fifth and final Hubble servicing mission. In October, astronauts will take new instruments, gyros, batteries and other components to enable the telescope's operation through 2013.

The picture taken by Hubble is available at http://www.nasa.gov/hubble