NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has recently captured stunning images of a star-forming region in the Triangulum galaxy, revealing intricate details about the formation of stars and the chaotic environments they inhabit. The images, taken by Webb’s NIRCam and MIRI instruments, showcase the NGC 604 region, located in the Triangulum galaxy 2.73 million light-years away from Earth.
NGC 604 is home to over 200 of the hottest and most massive stars in their early stages of life. These stars, known as B-types and O-types, are extremely rare to find in such concentration within our own Milky Way galaxy. The proximity of NGC 604 to Earth provides astronomers with a unique opportunity to study these objects during a crucial period in their development.
In the near-infrared NIRCam image captured by Webb, tendrils and clumps of emission appear bright red, extending from clearings or large bubbles in the nebula. These cavities are carved out by stellar winds from the brightest and hottest young stars, while ultraviolet radiation ionizes the surrounding gas, creating a white and blue ghostly glow. The presence of carbon-based molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is indicated by bright orange-colored streaks in the image. PAHs play a significant role in the interstellar medium and the formation of stars and planets.
Moving farther from the immediate clearings of dust, deeper red signifies the presence of molecular hydrogen, which provides a prime environment for star formation. Webb’s high resolution also reveals previously unnoticed connections between features that appeared unrelated in previous observations. For example, two bright young stars are seen carving out holes in dust above the central nebula, connected through diffuse red gas. In visible-light imaging from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, these stars appeared as separate splotches.
Webb’s mid-infrared view offers a new perspective on the diverse and dynamic activity within NGC 604. The MIRI image shows fewer stars compared to the NIRCam image because hot stars emit less light at these wavelengths. Instead, larger clouds of cooler gas and dust glow brightly. Some of the stars seen in the MIRI image belong to the surrounding galaxy and are red supergiants, which are cool but significantly larger than our Sun. Additionally, some of the background galaxies that appeared in the NIRCam image fade in the MIRI image. The presence of PAHs is indicated by blue tendrils of material.
NGC 604 is estimated to be approximately 3.5 million years old, and the cloud of glowing gases extends across a staggering 1,300 light-years. These new images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope provide astronomers with invaluable insights into the formation of stars and the complex environments they emerge from.
The James Webb Space Telescope, an international program led by NASA in collaboration with ESA and the Canadian Space Agency, is revolutionizing our understanding of the universe. It is not only unraveling mysteries within our solar system but also peering into distant worlds around other stars and exploring the origins and structures of our vast universe. With its exceptional capabilities, Webb is shedding light on the wonders of space and our place within it.