Pan of Star Cluster NGC 346 (MIRI image) | James Webb Space Telescope

Pan of Star Cluster NGC 346 (MIRI image) | James Webb Space Telescope

This new infrared image of NGC 346 from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) traces emission from cool gas and dust. In this image blue represents silicates and sooty chemical molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. More diffuse red emission shines from warm dust heated by the brightest and most massive stars in the heart of the region. Bright patches and filaments mark areas with abundant numbers of protostars.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, ESA, CSA, N. Habel (JPL), P. Kavanagh (Maynooth University), N. Bartmann   

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: Oct. 5, 2023

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