NASA | Goddard | JWST | 2018 Dec 12
The dazzling glow of young stars dominates images of the giant stellar nursery NGC 346, in the neighboring dwarf galaxy called the Small Magellanic Cloud. But this photogenic beauty is more than just a “pretty face.”
NGC 346 is a nearby proxy for the myriad star-forming regions that existed when the universe was ablaze with star formation just a few billion years after the big bang. Astronomers do not have telescopes powerful enough to study the details of star formation in these faraway “baby-boom” galaxies. The Hubble Space Telescope imaged NGC 346 to identify the optically bright stars. However, to understand the star-formation process astronomers must peer through the dusty stellar nurseries. Observers will use the sharp infrared vision of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to study NGC 346, which could help them develop a clearer picture of how the galaxies of long ago churned out stars at such a tremendous rate.
Webb will allow astronomers to carry out an unprecedented, detailed analysis of a star-forming region that is deficient in elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. In the very early universe only hydrogen and helium (cooked up in the big bang) were available raw materials for star formation. Subsequent generations of stars created heavier elements in their cores through nuclear fusion and through supernova explosions. These elements, such as carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, are recycled through subsequent generations of stars, planets, and in the case of Earth, all forms of life.
Another link between NGC 346 and the star-forming heyday is the large amount of young, massive stars residing in these fertile areas. These stellar giants wreak havoc on their environment by unleashing searing ultraviolet radiation and powerful stellar winds (streams of charged particles). Energy from these “bullying” monster stars can destroy star-forming clouds of gas and dust and disrupt the disks encircling stars where planets can form. ...
