The James Webb Space Telescope of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has captured detailed images of the star-forming region NGC 604, providing astronomers with a more comprehensive view of the formation of stars and the surrounding chaotic environment.
Located in the Triangulum galaxy, 2.73 million light-years away from Earth, NGC 604 is estimated to be 3.5 million years old, with clouds of glowing gas stretching for about 1,300 light-years. The recent images captured by NASA’s Webb Space Telescope’s Near Infrared Camera (NIRCAM) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) showcase cavern-like bubbles and extended filaments of gas, offering a detailed insight into the process of star birth.
The region is home to more than 200 of the hottest and most massive stars in their early stages of life, including B-type stars and O-type stars that are over 100 times more massive than the Sun. NGC 604 provides astronomers with a unique opportunity to study these objects in their earliest stages of life due to the concentration and proximity of these massive stars, a phenomenon not found in our galaxy.
The images captured by the NIRCAM reveal bright red tendrils and swarms of radiation emanating from large bubbles, carved out by winds from the brightest stars and ionized by ultraviolet radiation. The ionized hydrogen gas appears as white and blue light, while the bright orange streaks represent Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, molecules that play a crucial role in the formation of stars and planets.
On the other hand, the MIRI images illustrate various dynamic activities in the NGC 604 area, with fewer notable stars visible due to their emission of less light at this wavelength. Red supergiants from nearby galaxies, along with blue tendril-like material representing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, can be seen in the MIRI images.
These detailed images captured by NASA’s Webb Space Telescope will enable astronomers to further study the formation and evolution of stars in the NGC 604 star-forming region, shedding light on the mysteries of the universe.