The formation of stars and the chaotic environments they inhabit is probably the most well-studied, but in addition mystery-shrouded, areas of cosmic investigation. The intricacies of those processes at the moment are being unveiled like never before by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.
Two latest images from Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) showcase star-forming region NGC 604, situated within the Triangulum galaxy (M33), 2.73 million light-years away from Earth. In these images, cavernous bubbles and stretched-out filaments of gas etch a more detailed and complete tapestry of star birth than seen previously.
Sheltered amongst NGC 604’s dusty envelopes of gas are greater than 200 of the most well liked, most massive sorts of stars, all within the early stages of their lives. Some of these stars are B-types and O-types, the latter of which will be greater than 100 times the mass of our own Sun. It’s quite rare to search out this concentration of them within the nearby universe. In reality, there is not any similar region inside our own Milky Way galaxy.
This concentration of massive stars, combined with its relatively close distance, means NGC 604 gives astronomers a chance to review these objects at a captivating time early of their life.
In Webb’s near-infrared NIRCam image, probably the most noticeable features are tendrils and clumps of emission that appear vivid red, extending out from areas that appear like clearings, or large bubbles within the nebula. Stellar winds from the brightest and hottest young stars have carved out these cavities, while ultraviolet radiation ionizes the encompassing gas. This ionized hydrogen appears as a white and blue ghostly glow.
The brilliant orange-colored streaks within the Webb near-infrared image signify the presence of carbon-based molecules often called polycyclic fragrant hydrocarbons, or PAHs. This material plays a very important role within the interstellar medium and the formation of stars and planets, but its origin is a mystery. As you travel farther from the immediate clearings of dust, the deeper red signifies molecular hydrogen. This cooler gas is a major environment for star formation.
Webb’s exquisite resolution also provides insights into features that previously appeared unrelated to the most important cloud. For instance, in Webb’s image, there are two vivid, young stars 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 appeared as separate splotches.
Webb’s view in mid-infrared wavelengths also illustrates a brand new perspective into the varied and dynamic activity of this region. Within the MIRI view of NGC 604, there are noticeably fewer stars. It’s because hot stars emit much less light at these wavelengths, while the larger clouds of cooler gas and dirt glow. A few of the stars seen on this image, belonging to the encompassing galaxy, are red supergiants — stars which might be cool but very large, a whole bunch of times the diameter of our Sun. Moreover, among the background galaxies that appeared within the NIRCam image also fade. Within the MIRI image, the blue tendrils of fabric signify the presence of PAHs.
NGC 604 is estimated to be around 3.5 million years old. The cloud of glowing gases extends to some 1,300 light-years across.
