Central Star Cluster of Nebula IC 348 in Perseus | James Webb Space Telescope
This image from the NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope shows the central portion of the star cluster IC 348. The wispy curtains filling the image are interstellar gas and dust reflecting the light from the cluster’s stars—what is known as a reflection nebula. The material also includes carbon-containing molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. The bright star closest to the center of the frame is actually a pair of type B stars in a binary system, the most massive stars in the cluster. Winds from these stars may help sculpt the large loop seen on the right side of the field of view.
Image Description: Wispy, criss-crossing filaments fill the scene, creating dense and highly textured layers of gas in colors from green to yellow to orange and pink. Above the center, the filaments join into a large loop, while below they bend and create wave-like curves. Dozens of bright stars are layered atop the gas, a pair in the center being particularly bright; all sport six long and two short spikes of light, created by the telescope’s optics.
#NASA #ESA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Nebulae #ReflectionNebulae #StellarNurseries #IC348 #BrownDwarfs #Protostars #HerbigHaroObjects #PerseusConstellation #Cosmos #Universe #JWST #NIRCam #InfraredAstronomy #SpaceTelescopes #Europe #NASAGoddard #STScI #UnitedStates #CSA #Canada #STEM #Education
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