The Webb Telescope ’ s Latest Image Reveals The Birth of Very Young Stars

It was one year ago yesterday that the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope—25 years in development—proved it was worth all the time and treasure, when NASA released the observatory’s first clutch of eye-popping images. The pictures—of a distant galactic cluster, a relatively nearby star-forming nebula, a quintet of dusty galaxies, and more—were unveiled with much fanfare at a White House event attended by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Yesterday, to mark the anniversary of that big reveal, Webb scientists scored again, releasing another bit of eye candy imagery—this time of a star-forming region known as the Rho Opiuchi cloud complex. The formation, located just 390 light years from Earth, makes an especially good subject for study, since its relative arms-length distance means there are no foreground stars to obscure the image.
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“On its first anniversary, the James Webb Telescope has already delivered upon its promise to unfold the universe, gifting humanity with a breathtaking treasure trove of images and science that will last for decades,” said Nicola Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Mission Science Directorate, in a statement that accompanied the release of this week’s image.
The new picture, while stunning, does take some scientific unpacking. As NASA explains, Rho Opiuchi contains about 50 young stars, nearly all of them roughly the s...

Source: TIME: Science - July 12, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Jeffrey Kluger Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Space Source Type: news