NASA’s webb Telescope Captures Stunning Image of Stellar Nursery Pismis 24
NASA has released a breathtaking image of Pismis 24, a young star cluster located within the Lobster nebula near the constellation Scorpio, approximately 5,500 light-years from Earth. The image, captured by the James webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), reveals a vibrant landscape of thousands of stars and intricate nebulae, offering astronomers a unique opportunity to study massive star formation.
Pismis 24 is considered one of the closest birthplaces of massive stars to our planet. the region’s relative proximity makes it an ideal location to explore the characteristics and evolution of young, hot stars. The image showcases stars of varying sizes and colors, with the largest and brightest representing the most massive within the cluster. Hundreds to thousands of smaller stars appear white, yellow, and red, thier color steadfast by their star type and the amount of dust surrounding them.at the heart of the cluster lies “Pismis 24-1,” a particularly luminous star initially believed to be the largest known. Further investigation revealed it to be a binary system comprised of two stars with masses 74 and 66 times that of the Sun – still among the largest and brightest stars known today.
The image also highlights the dramatic effects of the newborn stars on their surroundings. Intense radiation and violent stellar winds from these ultra-hot stars (some reaching temperatures almost eight times that of the Sun) are actively eroding the surrounding nebula, sculpting cavities within the star-forming region. While the full extent of the nebula lies beyond the range of NIRCam, portions are visible at the bottom and top right of the image.
Layers of gas and dust, illuminated by starlight, create a delicate, tulle-like appearance around the towering peaks of the nebula. These striking spires, some reaching 5.4 light-years in height and 0.14 light-years in width, are shaped and compressed by the powerful forces of the young stars, triggering the birth of new stars within them.
The image utilizes color to represent different elements: cyan indicates high temperatures or ionized hydrogen gas,orange represents dust molecules,red signifies lower-temperature,higher-density hydrogen gas (with deeper red indicating greater density),black denotes the densest gas which doesn’t emit light,and slender white features show dust and gases scattering starlight.
[Image of Pismis 24, as credited: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI, A. Pagan (STScI)]
