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                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    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
     See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                         Young Star Cluster NGC 346
     Science - NASA, ESA, CSA, Olivia C. Jones (UK ATC), Guido De Marchi
                      (ESTEC), Margaret Meixner (USRA)
     Processing - Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Nolan Habel (USRA), Laura Lenki-ç
                    (USRA), Laurie E. U. Chu (NASA Ames)

   Explanation: The most massive young star cluster in the Small
   Magellanic Cloud is NGC 346, embedded in our small satellite galaxy's
   largest star forming region some 210,000 light-years distant. Of course
   the massive stars of NGC 346 are short lived, but very energetic. Their
   winds and radiation 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 infant stars. A mere 3 to 5
   million years old and not yet burning hydrogen in their cores, the
   infant stars are strewn about the embedded star cluster. This
   spectacular infrared view of NGC 346 is from the James Webb Space
   Telescope's 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. 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
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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