This image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) of star-forming region NGC 604 shows how stellar winds from bright, hot young stars carve out cavities in surrounding gas and dust.
The bright orange streaks in this image signify the presence of carbon-based molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. As you travel further from the immediate cavities of dust where the star is forming, the deeper red signifies molecular hydrogen. This cooler gas is a prime environment for star formation. Hydrogen ionized by ultraviolet radiation appears as a white and blue ghostly glow.
NGC 604 is located in the Triangulum galaxy (M33), 2.73 million light-years away from Earth. It provides an opportunity for astronomers to study a high concentration of very young, massive stars in a relatively nearby region.
Credits
Image
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | NGC 604, M33 |
| Object Description | Star Forming Region in Spiral Galaxy M33 |
| R.A. Position | 01:34:33.79 |
| Dec. Position | 30:46:59.0 |
| Constellation | Triangulum |
| Distance | About 2.73 million light-years (830,000 parsecs) |
| Dimensions | Image is about 2.1 arcminutes across (about 1,700 light-years) |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | This image was created with Webb data from proposal: (M. Marin). Image processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI). |
| Instrument | NIRCam |
| Exposure Dates | 28 Janurary 2024 |
| Filters | F090W, F187N, F200W, F335M, F444W, F470N |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | This image is a composite of separate exposures acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope using the NIRCam instrument. Several filters were used to sample varying 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: Blue: F090W, Cyan: F187N, Green: F335M, Red: F444W+F470N |
| 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. |
