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The Westerlund 2 star cluster is a locale where both nascent stars and ‘failed stars’ emerge.(Image credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, V. Almendros-Abad, M. Guarcello, K. Monsch, and the EWOCS team.)ShareShare by:
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What it represents: The Westerlund 2 star grouping
Where it resides: 20,000 light-years distant from Earth, within the Carina constellation
When it was published: Dec. 19, 2025
Encircled by russet and brownish clouds of gas and dust and brimming with gleaming stars, this fresh image from the James Webb Space Telescope gives the impression of a passage to a celestial dreamland.
The effervescent grouping is tightly packed, spanning between 6 light-years and 13 light-years across, and it is comprised of roughly 3,000 stars, according to information from the European Space Agency. Observed at a tender age of approximately 2 million years, this grouping holds within it some of the hottest, most brilliant, and most substantial stars in our galaxy.
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Westerlund 2 was previously visualized by the Hubble Space Telescope a decade prior, marking Hubble’s quarter-century in orbit. That visual, composed using visible light and some near-infrared information, unveiled the intricate characteristics of the cluster and its surrounding nebula, exhibiting a striking vista of pillars, crests, and valleys constructed of dust.
Presently, the James Webb Space Telescope has offered up an even more brilliant depiction of the cluster, which is burgeoning with radiant young stars. This recent portrayal merges infrared information obtained from the telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera and Mid-Infrared Instrument.
A full-size view of Westerlund 2
This magnificent visual emphasizes not just the young, weighty stars but also the clouds and walls of dust sculpted by their potent luminance. These formed zones are bordered by trails of russet and crimson gas, vividly lit by the strong light emanating from the nearby stars.
The complete panorama is knit together by a web of azure and pink trails that seem to be substance drifting away from the scene. Multiple minute stars give the impression of having only just commenced glowing, still nestled within the dense cloud in which they took form. Bulkier and more luminous stars positioned significantly closer to us manifest an eight-spiked diffraction pattern, brought about by the interplay of starlight with the telescope’s apparatus.
The scintillating spectacle of uncounted stars is a consequence of a ceaseless cycle of star genesis, wherein the infant stars within the stellar incubator discharge intense radiation that consequently warms the surrounding nebula, thereby instigating the formation of novel stars.
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The recent observations, gathered across a broad spectrum of infrared wavelengths, encompass bands responsive to methane and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions. Whereas PAH emission delineates heated gas and dust, methane delineates low-mass frigid objects. Consequently, astronomers pinpointed a population of brown dwarfs — or “aborted stars” — including entities merely around 10 times the mass of Jupiter.
Brown dwarfs are unique entities that reside on the threshold between stars and planets. Their masses fall between those of conventional stars and those of planets, spanning from 10 to 90 times the mass of Jupiter. Nonetheless, they lack sufficient mass to trigger nuclear fusion within their core. The James Webb telescope’s fresh observations have the potential to uncover understanding of the varying stages in a star’s existence and how planet-shaping disks function around massive stars.
For further superb space visuals, peruse our Space Photo of the Week archives.
TOPICSJames Webb Space Telescopespace photo of the week
Shreejaya KaranthaLive Science contributor
Shreejaya Karantha is a scientific author specializing in astronomy, covering themes like the sun, planetary science, stellar progression, black holes, and initial universe cosmology. Located in India, she is employed as an author and research specialist at The Secrets of the Universe, contributing to scripts for research-based and explanatory videos. Shreejaya possesses a bachelor’s degree in science and a master’s degree in physics, with specialization in astrophysics.
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