The new super space observatory probes a dynamic star factory 200,000 light years from Earth.
Previous space telescopes could detect the largest objects in this scene, but with Webb, with its superior sensitivity and resolution, astronomers are now able to identify the smallest sources.
"But with Webb, we have the sensitivity limits to go all the way down to 1/10 of the Sun's mass. So, we have the sensitivity to detect the very low mass stars in the process of formation, but with the resolution also to see how they affect the environment. And as you can see from the image, it's a very dynamic environment."There is gas being energised in this picture to temperatures of 10,000C. In contrast, Webb also detects cold gas at -200C.
Webb's observations of the cluster indicate they certainly have the potential. Even the smallest protostars detected in the image have discs of dust around them. The new Webb picture of NGC 346 was released at the 241st American Astronomical Society meeting, currently taking place in Seattle. The existence of the world had been hinted at in data from Nasa's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, but Webb was very quickly able to remove all doubt.
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