Sagittarius B2 (MIRI image, annotated)

This image of the Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2) molecular cloud, captured by Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) includes compass arrows, scale bar, and colour key for reference.

To create this image, mid-infrared wavelengths of light have been translated into visible-light colours. The colour key at the bottom shows which MIRI filters were used, and which visible-light colour was assigned to that filter.

The north and east compass arrows show the orientation of the image on the sky. Note that the relationship between north and east on the sky (as seen from below) is flipped relative to direction arrows on a map of the ground (as seen from above).

[Image description: Cosmic clouds of pink and purple, some with bright centres, are surrounded by dark areas that appear like black space dotted with bright blue stars. A small cloud to the lower right is more red than any other area of the image. At the top right are compass arrows indicating the orientation of the image on the sky. The north arrow points to just past 3 o’clock, and the east arrow points to just past 12 o’clock. At the lower right is a scale bar labeled 5 light-years. The length of the scale bar is about 7 times the total width of the image. Below the image is a colour key showing which filters were used to create the image and which visible-light colour is assigned to each filter. From left to right, the filters are: F770W in blue, F1280W in green, and F2550W is red.]