An image of the James Webb Space Telescope (Image source: NASA)
The ESA/Webb final Picture of the Month for 2025 is an image of a star cluster called Westerlund 2. The image displays stars in their different phases of evolution, including those that have formed protoplanetary disks.
Westerlund 2 is a star cluster that resides in a stellar nursery called Gum 29. Gum 29 is located 20,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Carina (the Keel). Westerlund 2 has so many bright stars that it gives the region a festive look.
The entire star cluster stretches between 6–13 light-years across. While the entire region is loaded with stars, the area with the most brilliant cluster is located near the top of this image. The cluster there is packed with young and massive stars. These stars emit intense radiation that beams into the surrounding gas. This carves dramatic walls and cavities of glowing red and orange gas. In this image, there are also smaller stars that have just begun to shine. These stars are still surrounded by the gas and dust that formed them.
Westerlund 2 has previously featured as Hubble’s 25th anniversary image in 2015. But this new observation reveals something new: the full population of brown dwarfs. Brown dwarfs are objects that form like stars but never get dense and hot enough to become stars. The smallest brown dwarfs could have masses only a few times that of Jupiter. In this image, Webb also found objects that are only about 10 times Jupiter’s mass.
This image was created using data from Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). The data is helping astronomers find hundreds of stars with protoplanetary disks. Finding such stars could offer insights into how the disks evolve and how planets form in environments dominated by young massive star clusters.
Webb image of Westerlund 2 (Image source: several; see sources)
Image source: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, V. Almendros-Abad, M. Guarcello, K. Monsch, and the EWOCS team.
Chibuike Okpara – Tech Writer – 339 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2024
I have always been fascinated by technology and digital devices my entire life and even got addicted to it. I have always marveled at the intricacy of even the simplest digital devices and systems around us. I have been writing and publishing articles online for about 6 years now, just about a year ago, I found myself lost in the marvel of smartphones and laptops we have in our hands every day. I developed a passion for learning about new devices and technologies that come with them and at some point, I asked myself, “Why not get into writing tech articles?” It is useless to say I followed up the idea — it is evident. I am an open-minded individual who derives an infinite amount of joy from researching and discovering new information, I believe there is so much to learn and such a short life to live, so I put my time to good use — learning new things. I am a ‘bookworm’ of the internet and digital devices. When I am not writing, you will find me on my devices still, I do explore and admire the beauty of nature and creatures. I am a fast learner and quickly adapt to changes, always looking forward to new adventures.