Star-forming Region NGC 604 (Mid-infrared view) | James Webb Space Telescope

Star-forming Region NGC 604 (Mid-infrared view) | James Webb Space Telescope

This image from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) of star-forming region NGC 604 shows how large clouds of cooler gas and dust glow at mid-infrared wavelengths. This region is a hotbed of star formation and home to more than 200 of the hottest, most massive kinds of stars, all in the early stages of their lives.

In the MIRI view of NGC 604, there are noticeably fewer stars than Webb’s NIRCam image. This is because hot stars emit much less light at these wavelengths. Some of the stars seen in this image are red supergiants—stars that are cool but very large, hundreds of times the diameter of our Sun. The blue tendrils of material signify the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs.

NGC 604 is located in the Triangulum Galaxy (M33), 2.73 million light-years away from Earth. In this image, 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.

Image Description: At the center of the image is a nebula on the black background of space. The nebula is composed of wispy filaments of light blue clouds. At the center-right of the blue clouds is a large cavernous bubble. The bottom left edge of this cavernous bubble is filled with hues of pink and white gas. Hundreds of dim stars fill the area surrounding the nebula.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Release Date: March 9, 2024

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