NGC 7129 (NIRCam image)

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-InfraRed Camera) has revealed many protostars and stars within the glowing gases of NGC 7129. 

The region to the left of the central star is filled with hot, atomic hydrogen gas, which creates a golden glow, while the region to the right is packed with cooler, molecular hydrogen. Embedded protostars in the rightmost region eject outflows that shock and heat the region, giving certain areas a red hue and a clumpy texture. Many of these red outflows, ejected as protostars accumulate mass, are visible throughout the image.

The central star and the stars embedded within the golden region are at a more mature stage in their life cycle than the protostars growing to the right of the central star. Their heat breaks down the molecular hydrogen into atoms, driving the differences in temperature and color. The coldest, densest gas, where protostars have yet to form, is shown in grey.

[Image description: A young star cluster filled with many stars that display Webb’s unique eight-pronged diffraction pattern. At its center is a yellow star which sports the largest diffraction pattern. To the left of the star, there is a region filled with yellow dust and gas that extends from the star to the left border of the image. This yellow region extends from the bottom, covering about two-thirds of the image. The yellow region has several blue stars of different sizes embedded within. The top third, which lies outside of the yellow region, holds a few bright protostars, within dense gray gas. Those stars illuminate the gas, making it appear blue. A few red outflows from other protostars are visible above this grayish-blue region. To the right of the central star, there is a clumpy, flame-like plume of red dust and gas with protostars that emit a soft white light within. The plume is surrounded by more dense gray gas and dust. There are several background galaxies strewn throughout the image.]