Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                 2025 May 2
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                         Young Star Cluster NGC 346
    Science - [3]NASA, [4]ESA, [5]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 [6]Small
   Magellanic Cloud is NGC 346, embedded in our small satellite galaxy's
   largest star forming region some 210,000 light-years distant. [7]Of
   course the massive stars of NGC 346 are short lived, but very
   [8]energetic. Their winds and radiation [9]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
   [10]infant stars. A mere 3 to 5 million years old and not yet
   [11]burning hydrogen in their cores, the [12]infant stars are strewn
   about the embedded star cluster. [13]This spectacular infrared view of
   NGC 346 is from the James Webb Space Telescope's [14]NIRcam. Emission
   from atomic hydrogen ionized by the massive stars' energetic radiation
   as well as molecular hydrogen and dust in the star-forming molecular
   cloud is detailed in pink and orange hues. [15]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: Titan's Shangra-La
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    Authors & editors: [27]Robert Nemiroff ([28]MTU) & [29]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([30]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [31]Specific rights apply.
              [32]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [33]ASD at [34]NASA / [35]GSFC,
                         [36]NASA Science Activation
                           & [37]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2505/jwst-ngc346.png
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.esa.int/
   5. https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/
   6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210105.html
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap991130.html
   8. https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2003/ngc346/index.html
   9. https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/2005/35/1818-Image.html
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221118.html
  11. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/genesismission/science/module1/index.html
  12. https://chandra.harvard.edu/edu/formal/stellar_ev/story/index2.html
  13. https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2023/news-2023-101
  14. https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/images/01FA0SZSEW1TZ51BHG0EGW2EZP
  15. https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/images/2023/101/01GNYMNTMKSZ98TE3YD5PQY2VD
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250501.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  20. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  25. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250502
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250503.html
  27. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  28. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  29. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  30. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  33. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/
  35. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  36. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  37. http://www.mtu.edu/