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NASA’s Hubble and Webb Discover Bursting Star Formation in Small Magellanic Cloud

NASA’s Hubble and Webb Discover Bursting Star Formation in Small Magellanic Cloud

NASA’s Hubble and Webb telescopes observe explosive star formation in the Small Magellanic Cloud's NGC 460 and NGC 456 clusters.

Written by Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 12 July 2025 16:32 IST

NASA’s Hubble and Webb Discover Bursting Star Formation in Small Magellanic Cloud

Photo Credit: NASA/ESA/Catholic University of America

Hubble shows the images of dust in the form of a silhouette against the blocking light

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Highlights

Hubble and Webb capture vivid star formation in dwarf galaxy clusters
NGC 460 & NGC 456 lie in the star-rich N83-84-85 complex region
Observations aid research on cosmic evolution and early star birth

Scientists from NASA observed the bursting expansion of gas, stars, and dust from the glittering territory of the dual star clusters using Hubble and Webb space telescopes. NGC 460 and NGC 456 stay in the Small Magellanic Cloud, which are open clusters, with dwarf galaxies and orbit the Milky Way. These clusters are part of the extensive star complex clusters and nebulae that are most likely to be linked to each other. Stars are born upon the collapse of clouds.

Hubble and Webb Reveal Explosive Star Births in Small Magellanic Cloud

As per a report from NASA, the open clusters are from anywhere from a few dozen to many young stars, which are loosely bound by gravity. The images captured by Hubble capture the glowing and ionised gas, which comes from stellar radiation and blows bubbles in the form of gas and dust, which is blue in colour. The infrared of Webb shows the clumps and delicate filament-like structures and dust, which is red in colour.

NGC 460 and NGC 456: A Window into Early Universe Star Formation

Hubble shows the images of dust in the form of a silhouette against the blocking light; however, in the images of Webb, the dust is warmed by starlight and glows with infrared waves. The blend of gas and dust between the stars of the universe is called the interstellar medium. The region holding these clusters is known as the N83-84-85 complex and is home to multiple, rare O-type stars. These are hot and extremely massive stars that burn hydrogen like the Sun.

Such a state mimics the condition in the early universe; therefore, the Small Magellanic Cloud gives a nearby lab to find out the theories regarding star formation and the interstellar medium of the cosmos's early stage.

With these observations, the researchers tend to study the gas flow from convergence to divergence, which helps in refining the difference between the Small Magellanic Cloud and its dwarf galaxy, and the Large Magellanic Cloud. Further, it helps in knowing the interstellar medium and gravitational interactions between the galaxies.

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