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 __________________________________________________________________ [16]< | [17]Archive | [18]Submissions | [19]Index | [20]Search | [21]Calendar | [22]RSS | [23]Education | [24]About APOD | [25]Discuss | [26]> __________________________________________________________________ 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/