This new infrared image of NGC 346 from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) traces emission from cool gas and dust. In this image blue represents silicates and sooty chemical molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. More diffuse red emission shines from warm dust heated by the brightest and most massive stars in the heart of the region. Bright patches and filaments mark areas with abundant numbers of protostars. This image includes 7.7-micron light shown in blue, 10 microns in cyan, 11.3 microns in green, 15 microns in yellow, and 21 microns in red (770W, 1000W, 1130W, 1500W, and 2100W filters, respectively).
Credits
Image
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Nolan Habel (NASA-JPL)
Image Processing
Patrick Kavanagh (Maynooth University)
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | NGC 346 |
| Object Description | Cluster and Nebulosity in the Small Magellanic Cloud |
| R.A. Position | 00:59:04.95 |
| Dec. Position | -72:10:09.15 |
| Constellation | Tucana |
| Distance | 200,000 light-years away (61,300 parsecs) |
| Dimensions | This image is about 3.4 arcminutes across (200 light-years). |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | This image was created with Webb data from proposal: (M. Meixner). Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI) |
| Instrument | MIRI |
| Exposure Dates | 10 October 2022 |
| Filters | F770W, F1000W, F1130W, F1500W, F2100W |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope using the MIRI instrument. Several filters were used to sample wide wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Red: F2100W, Yellow: F1500W, Green: F1130W, Cyan: F1000W, Blue: F770W |
| Compass Image |  |
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
| Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
| R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
| Distance | The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. |
| Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description |
|
| Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
| Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
| Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
| About The Image | |
| Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
| Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |
