Tag Archive for 'Open cluster'

This Hubble image shows a small region of the Small Magellanic Cloud near the center of the open cluster NGC 346. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / C. Murray.

Hubble Focuses on Star-Studded Region in Neighbor Galaxy

Mar 17, 2025 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new image taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows a small region of the Small Magellanic Cloud, one of the closest galaxies to the Milky...

The nebula encasing NGC 2040 resembles a vibrant rose in this image captured by the Gemini South telescope. Image credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / J. Miller & M. Rodriguez, International Gemini Observatory & NSF NOIRLab / T.A. Rector, University of Alaska Anchorage & NSF NOIRLab / M. Zamani, NSF NOIRLab.

Gemini Telescope Spots ‘Cosmic Flower’ in Large Magellanic Cloud

Feb 17, 2025 by Enrico de Lazaro

Using the Gemini South telescope, astronomers from NSF’s NOIRLab have imaged a beautiful nebula around the young open cluster NGC 2040. The nebula encasing...

Cradled within the fiery petals of the Rosette Nebula is NGC 2244, the young star cluster which it nurtured. Image credit: CTIO / NOIRLab / DOE / NSF / AURA / T.A. Rector, University of Alaska Anchorage & NSF’s NOIRLab / D. de Martin & M. Zamani, NSF’s NOIRLab.

NOIRLab Celebrates 5th Anniversary with Stunning Image of Rosette Nebula

Oct 1, 2024 by News Staff

The new image of the Rosette Nebula was taken by the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), mounted on NSF’s Víctor M. Blanco 4-m telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American...

This Hubble image shows NGC 346, an open star cluster some 210,000 light-years in the constellation of Tucana. Image credit: NASA / ESA / C. Murray, Space Telescope Science Institute / Gladys Kober, NASA & Catholic University of America.

Hubble Space Telescope Captures Ultraviolet Image of NGC 346

Sep 3, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

The Hubble team has released a striking new photo taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope of the open cluster NGC 346, which resides in one of our...

This Webb image of NGC 346 traces emission from cool gas and dust. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / N. Habel, JPL / P. Kavanagh, Maynooth University.

Webb Captures Mid-Infrared Image of NGC 346

Oct 10, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new image taken with the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) onboard the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope shows streamers of gas and dust studded with...

This composite image features four separate images that combine X-ray data from Chandra and infrared data from Webb, and some data from other telescopes like Hubble, Spitzer and XMM-Newton. Image credit: NASA / CXC / SAO / ESA / XMM-Newton / CSA / STScI / JPL / CalTech / ESO / L. Frattare / J. Major / K. Arcand.

Webb Captures Two Galaxies, Star-Forming Nebula, and Star Cluster

May 24, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

New images that combine data from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope and several space- and ground-based telescopes show spiral galaxies NGC 1672...

Optical (left) and infrared (right) image of NGC 346 in the Small Magellanic Cloud; the positions of the main ionizing sources of NGC 346, namely SSN 7 and SSN 9, are highlighted by red and green squares, respectively. Image credit: A. Nota, ESA & STScI / NASA / ESA / CSA / O. Jones, UK ATC / G. De Marchi, ESTEC / M. Meixner, USRA / A. Pagan, STScI / N. Habel, USRA / L. Lenkic, USRA / L. Chu, NASA’s Ames Research Center.

Two Massive Touching Stars Will Merge as Black Holes in 18 Billion Years, Astronomers Predict

Apr 27, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

SSN 7 is a so-called contact binary located in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy some 210,000 light-years away in the constellation of Tucana....

The left panel shows a three-color composite mosaic of NGC 346 combining Webb’s F277W (blue), F335M (green) and F444W (red) filters. The region is rich in structures of knots, arcs and filaments. Areas of bright pink and/or red emission are associated with clumpy star formation. The spatially resolved PAH emission excited by ultraviolet photons in green is brightest in regions corresponding to the edges of dense material, characteristic of a photodissociation region. Massive stars, stars belonging to the BS90 cluster (circled in green) and the Small Magellanic Cloud field population are also visible. The right panel shows a mosaic image from the F335M filter showing four different populations of stars: pre-main-sequence stars (blue circles), young stellar objects with Paα (orange diamonds), young stellar objects without Paα (red squares) and stars matched with the HST-PMS catalogue (purple stars). Image credit: Jones et al., doi: 10.1038/s41550-023-01945-7.

Webb Detects Planetary Ingredients in NGC 346

Apr 25, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Located in the Small Magellanic Cloud at a distance of roughly 200,000 light-years, NGC 346 is a prominent young cluster — roughly 3 million years...

This image, taken by the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) onboard the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, shows the star cluster NGC 346. Webb reveals the presence of many more building blocks than previously expected, not only for stars, but also planets, in the form of clouds packed with dust and hydrogen. The plumes and arcs of gas in this image contains two types of hydrogen. The pink gas represents energized hydrogen, which is typically as hot as around 10,000 degrees Celsius (approximately 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit) or more, while the more orange gas represents dense, molecular hydrogen, which is much colder at around minus 200 degrees Celsius or less (approximately minus 300 degrees Fahrenheit), and associated dust. The colder gas provides an excellent environment for stars to form, and, as they do, they change the environment around them. The effect of this is seen in the various ridges throughout, which are created as the light of these young stars breaks down the dense clouds. The many pillars of glowing gas show the effects of this stellar erosion throughout the region. In this image blue was assigned to the wavelength of 2.0 microns (F200W), green was assigned to 2.77 microns (F277W), orange was assigned to 3.35 microns (F335M), and red was assigned to 4.44 microns (F444W). Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / O. Jones, UK ATC / G. De Marchi, ESTEC / M. Meixner, USRA / A. Pagan, STScI / N. Habel, USRA / L. Lenkic, USRA / L. Chu, NASA’s Ames Research Center.

Webb Probes Most Massive Star-Forming Region of Small Magellanic Cloud

Jan 13, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have revealed many new pockets of star formation in NCG 346, an open star cluster in the...

This composite image shows one of the studied clusters, NGC 3293, which is 11 million years old and is located about 8,300 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Carina. The image contains X-rays from Chandra (purple) as well as infrared data from ESA’s Herschel Space Observatory (red), longer-wavelength infrared data from NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope (blue and white), and optical data from the MPG/ESO 2.2-m telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory appearing as red, white and blue. Image credit: NASA / CXC / Penn State University / Getman et al. / ESA / JPL-Caltech / Herschel Space Observatory / IPAC / SSC / Spitzer Space Telescope / MPG / ESO / G. Beccar.

Astronomers Trace Evolution of X-Ray Activity in Young Sun-Like Stars

Dec 27, 2022 by News Staff

Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA’s Gaia satellite have studied a sample of 6,003 stars in 10 different open clusters with...

This Hubble image shows several member stars of the young open cluster NGC 6530. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / ESO / O. De Marco / M.H. Özsaraç.

Hubble Spots Open Star Cluster in Lagoon Nebula

Dec 12, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

NASA has released a beautiful photo taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope of a portion of NGC 6530, a young open cluster embedded within the Lagoon...

This Hubble image shows NGC 2002, an open cluster some 160,000 light-years away in the southern constellation of Dorado. Image credit: NASA / ESA / G. Gilmore, University of Cambridge / Gladys Kober, NASA & Catholic University of America.

Hubble Captures Stunning View of NGC 2002

Dec 7, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

The Hubble team has released a beautiful new image of the open star cluster NGC 2002. This Hubble image shows NGC 2002, an open cluster some 160,000 light-years...

This Hubble image shows BSDL 2757, an open cluster some 160,000 light-years away in the constellation of Dorado. Image credit: NASA / ESA / L. Bianchi, Johns Hopkins University / G. Kober, NASA & Catholic University of America.

Hubble Sees Blue-White Stars in Distant Open Cluster

Dec 6, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have captured an amazing new photo of the open cluster BSDL 2757. This Hubble image shows BSDL 2757,...

This Hubble image shows the young open star NGC 376. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / A. Nota / G. De Marchi.

Hubble Space Telescope Observes NGC 376

Dec 5, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have produced this beautiful image of NGC 376, a young open star cluster in the Small Magellanic...

This Hubble image shows NGC 2660, an open cluster 8,617 light-years away in the constellation of Vela. Image credit: NASA / ESA / T. von Hippel, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University / Gladys Kober, NASA & Catholic University of America.

Hubble Space Telescope Takes a Close Look at NGC 2660

Nov 30, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have taken a very detailed image of the open cluster NGC 2660. This Hubble image shows NGC 2660,...

This image from the VISTA InfraRed CAMera (VIRCAM) instrument on ESO’s 4.1-m Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) shows NGC 3603 (left) and NGC 3576 (right) nebulae. Image credit: ESO / VVVX Survey.

VISTA Sees Two Stunning Nebulae in Carina

Nov 8, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Astronomers using ESO’s 4.1-m Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy have captured a new view of two bright nebulae: NGC 3603 and NGC 3576. This...

The unusual shape of the open cluster NGC 346 is partly due to stars and gas spiraling into the center of the cluster in a river-like motion; the red spiral superimposed on NGC 346 traces the movement of stars and gas toward the center; this spiraling motion is the most efficient way to feed star formation from the outside toward the center of the cluster. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Andi James, STScI.

Astronomers Find Spiraling Stars in NGC 346

Sep 8, 2022 by News Staff

Astronomers using the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope...

An artist’s impression of the quadruple system HD 74438. Image credit: University of Canterbury.

Type Ia Supernovae Can Occur in Quadruple Systems, Astronomers Suggest

May 16, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Binary systems have received much attention as possible progenitors of Type Ia supernovae, but long-term gravitational effects in tight triple or quadruple...

This Hubble image shows NGC 1755, an open star cluster some 160,000 light-years away in the southern constellation of Dorado. The color image was made from separate exposures taken in the ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared regions of the spectrum with Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). Three filters were used to sample various wavelengths. The color results from assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / A. Milone / G. Gilmore.

Hubble Spots Young Cluster in Large Magellanic Cloud

Dec 20, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

NASA has released a beautiful image snapped by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope of the open star cluster NGC 1755. This Hubble image shows NGC 1755,...

This WISE multicolor image shows NGC 1605, a binary open cluster located 8,480 light-years away in the constellation of Perseus. It was first discovered on December 11, 1786 by the German-born British astronomer William Herschel. Image credit: NASA / WISE / Camargo, arXiv: 2109.14664.

Astronomer Discovers Ancient Binary Open Cluster in Milky Way

Oct 18, 2021 by Sergio Prostak

An open cluster called NGC 1605 is in fact two merging open clusters with evidence of tidal streams, according to new research by Professor Denilso Camargo...