Stunning new James Webb Space Telescope images reveal 'hidden' stars being born

By Robert Lea published 3 hours ago

"Every time we look at these images, we learn something new and unexpected."



A stunning image of the star forming region W51 created by the JWSTA stunning image of the star forming region W51 created by the JWST (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Yoo & Ginsburg (UF). Image processing: A Pagan (STScI))


Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to study the star-forming region called W51, revealing "hidden" stars that were invisible to other telescopes. The investigation has resulted in some absolutely stunning images that show the lanes of gas and dust illuminated by these young stars in unprecedented detail.

The team behind these observations was able to use the $10 billion space telescope to determine that the stars in W51 began to form within the last million years. If this makes these stellar infants sound ancient, consider that our middle-aged star, the sun, is around 4.6 billion years old.

Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to study the star-forming region called W51, revealing "hidden" stars that were invisible to other telescopes. The investigation has resulted in some absolutely stunning images that show the lanes of gas and dust illuminated by these young stars in unprecedented detail.

The team behind these observations was able to use the $10 billion space telescope to determine that the stars in W51 began to form within the last million years. If this makes these stellar infants sound ancient, consider that our middle-aged star, the sun, is around 4.6 billion years old.

More:
https://www.space.com/astronomy/james-webb-space-telescope/stunning-new-james-webb-space-telescope-images-reveal-hidden-stars-being-born