年轻星团NGC 346

2023年1月13日

Young Star Cluster NGC 346
Image Credit: Science – NASA, ESA, CSA, Olivia C. Jones (UK ATC), Guido De Marchi (ESTEC), Margaret Meixner (USRA)
Processing – Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Nolan Habel (USRA), Laura Lenkić (USRA), Laurie E. U. Chu (NASA Ames)

Explanation: The most massive young star cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud is NGC 346, embedded in our small satellite galaxy’s largest star forming region some 210,000 light-years distant. Of course the massive stars of NGC 346 are short lived, but very energetic. Their winds and radiation sculpt the edges of the region’s dusty molecular cloud triggering star-formation within. The star forming region also appears to contain a large population of infant stars. A mere 3 to 5 million years old and not yet burning hydrogen in their cores, the infant stars are strewn about the embedded star cluster. This spectacular infrared view of NGC 346 is from the James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRcam. Emission from atomic hydrogen ionized by the massive stars’ energetic radiation as well as and molecular hydrogen and dust in the star-forming molecular cloud is detailed in pink and orange hues. Webb’s sharp image of the young star-forming region spans 240 light-years at the distance of the Small Magellanic Cloud.

Tomorrow’s picture: light-weekend

年轻星团NGC 346
图像提供: 科学 – NASA, ESA, CSA, Olivia C. Jones (UK ATC), Guido De Marchi (ESTEC), Margaret Meixner (USRA)
图像处理 – Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Nolan Habel (USRA), Laura Lenkić (USRA), Laurie E. U. Chu (NASA Ames)

说明: 小麦哲伦星云里质量最大的年轻星团是NGC 346，而它位在距离有210,000光年的这个小伴星系最大的恒星形成区之内。想当然耳，NGC 346内的大质量恒星寿命极短，但非常活跃。它们的恒星风和辐射，雕塑出该区尘埃分子云的边缘，并触发了其内的恒星形成活动。因此，这个恒星形成区看似拥有大量的婴儿期恒星。而散布在此星团各处的这些婴儿期恒星之年龄只有3到500万年，其核心的氢融合尚末点燃。这张精采的NGC 346红外光图像，是由韦伯太空望远镜的近红外相机所拍摄。被大质量恒星的高能星光电离的原子氢所发出之辐射，以及恒星形成分子云内的分子氢和尘埃，分别以粉红及橙色系来呈现。以小麦哲伦星云所在的距离来换算，这幅以年轻恒星形成区为主题的清晰韦伯图像涵盖了240光年的区域。

明日的图片: light-weekend