Panning over Star-forming Region NGC 604 | James Webb Space Telescope

Panning over Star-forming Region NGC 604 | James Webb Space Telescope

Two new images from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) showcase the star-forming region NGC 604, located in 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 in the past. NGC 604 was discovered by William Herschel on September 11, 1784.

Sheltered among NGC 604’s dusty envelopes of gas are more than 200 of the hottest, most massive kinds of stars, all in the early stages of their lives. These types of stars are known as B-types and O-types, the latter of which can be more than 100 times the mass of our own Sun. It is quite rare to find this concentration of them in the nearby Universe. In fact, there is no similar region within our own Milky Way galaxy.

This concentration of massive stars, combined with its relatively close distance, means NGC 604 gives astronomers an opportunity to study these objects at a fascinating time early in their life.

NGC 604 is estimated to be around 3.5 million years old. The cloud of glowing gases extends to about 1,300 light-years across.

Video Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)  

Duration: 30 seconds

Release Date: March 9, 2024

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #StellarNursery #Nebulae #NGC604 #Nebula #TriangulumGalaxy #Triangulum #Constellation #JamesWebb #SpaceTelescope #JWST #Infrared #Cosmos #Universe #UnfoldTheUniverse #CSA #GSFC #STSc #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video