NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed a stunning, detailed view of star birth in the young star cluster Pismis 24. What appears to be a craggy, starlit mountaintop kissed by wispy clouds is, in reality, a cosmic dust-scape being sculpted by the intense radiation and winds of massive, infant stars.According to NASA reports, located roughly 5,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Scorpius, Pismis 24 resides at the heart of the Lobster Nebula, one of the closest regions of massive star formation. Its proximity allows astronomers to study the properties and evolution of hot, young stars in unprecedented detail.
James Webb Space Telescope unveils the true nature of Pismis 24-1: A massive stellar duo
At the centre of the cluster shines Pismis 24-1, once thought to be a single star and the most massive known. JWST observations have revealed that it actually consists of at least two stars, with estimated masses of 74 and 66 times that of the Sun. Despite this, these remain among the most massive and luminous stars ever observed, dominating the stellar nursery around them.Infrared imaging from JWST’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) captures thousands of jewel-like stars of varying sizes and colours. The most massive stars appear bright with distinct diffraction spikes, while hundreds of smaller members glow in white, yellow, and red, influenced by their stellar type and surrounding dust. Beyond the cluster, JWST also reveals tens of thousands of Milky Way stars in the background.
Pismis 24’s stellar winds shape towers of gas and dust
Super-hot, infant stars in Pismis 24, some nearly eight times hotter than the Sun, emit powerful winds and intense radiation. These forces are carving cavities into the surrounding nebula, visible in the image as towering spires and jagged peaks. The tallest spire measures approximately 5.4 light-years, enough to contain over 200 solar systems to Neptune’s orbit across its width.
- Cyan in the image indicates hot, ionised hydrogen gas
- Orange represents dust molecules akin to smoke
- Red marks cooler, denser molecular hydrogen
- Black signifies the densest gas not emit light
- White wisps show dust and gas scattering starlight
These dramatic structures are not merely decorative; they compress gas, triggering the formation of new stars within the nebula. Streams of hot, ionized gas flow off the ridges, while wispy veils of dust and gas are illuminated by starlight, creating a spectacular cosmic landscape.
Exploring Pismis 24
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/glittering-glimpse-of-star-birth-from-nasas-webb-telescope/#hds-sidebar-nav-2JWST’s imaging is complemented by scientific visualisations that take viewers on a journey through Pismis 24. One video begins with a ground-based photo of Scorpius and gradually zooms into the Lobster Nebula, transitioning to JWST’s near-infrared view of the young star cluster. These visualisations help convey the scale and complexity of star formation in a way that static images cannot.
A natural laboratory for massive star formation
Pismis 24 provides astronomers with a rare and valuable laboratory to explore some of the most fundamental processes in the universe. Within this stellar nursery, researchers can investigate how massive stars form and evolve in their earliest stages, while also observing the profound impact that their intense stellar winds and radiation have on the surrounding nebula. These forces not only sculpt the landscape of gas and dust but also play a critical role in triggering the birth of new stars within dense molecular clouds. With the cutting-edge data collected by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scientists are gaining unprecedented insights into how massive stars shape their environments, ultimately influencing the growth and evolution of entire galaxies.Also read | James Webb Space Telescope reveals ghostly dust rings: This “dead” star surprises astronomers
