The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has unveiled a breathtaking new image of the Pismis 24 star cluster, located approximately 5,500 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. This stunning vista, resembling a craggy mountain range bathed in starlight, showcases towering peaks of gas and dust sculpted by the intense forces of massive, young stars.
The image reveals colossal spires of gas and dust, with the tallest reaching an astounding 5.4 light-years from base to tip – a scale dwarfing even our solar system. These structures, colored in vibrant oranges and browns, are far from static. Powerful stellar winds and ultraviolet radiation from the cluster's newborn stars erode and compress the gas and dust, creating a dynamic, self-sustaining stellar nursery. New stars are born within these very spires as the material is sculpted and compressed.
Pismis 24 is particularly fascinating due to the nature of its stars. These are among the most massive known stars in our galaxy. The brightest star, once believed to be a single entity with a mass exceeding 300 times that of our Sun, has been revealed by Hubble observations to be a binary system, comprising two stars with masses of 74 and 66 solar masses respectively. This makes them among the most luminous stars in the Milky Way.
The JWST's Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) captured this infrared view, showcasing the vibrant colors created by the interplay of light and matter. Cyan represents hot, ionized hydrogen gas; orange signifies dust; deep red indicates cooler, denser hydrogen; and white shows starlight scattered by dust. The darker regions represent areas where gas and dust are so thick that even the JWST's infrared vision cannot penetrate.
The image's complexity and beauty underscore the power of the JWST to unveil the universe's hidden wonders, providing unprecedented detail and insight into stellar formation and evolution within the dynamic environments of star clusters like Pismis 24. The 'starlit mountaintop' is a testament to the JWST's capabilities and a breathtaking visual representation of the ongoing cosmic processes shaping our galaxy.
---
Originally published at: https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/james-webb-telescopes-starlit-mountaintop-could-be-the-observatorys-best-image-yet-space-photo-of-the-week
