Pan video: Sagittarius B2 (NIRCam image)

This video shows two views of a colourful array of massive stars and glowing cosmic dust in the Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2) molecular cloud, the most massive and active star-forming region in our Milky Way galaxy.

The first image shown is Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) view of the Sgr B2 region in mid-infrared light, with warm dust glowing brightly. To the right is one clump of clouds that captured astronomers’ attention. It is redder than the rest of the clouds in the image and corresponds to an area that other telescopes have shown to be one of the most molecularly rich regions known. 

The second image shown is the molecular cloud glow in near-infrared light, captured by Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera). In this light, astronomers see more of the region’s diverse, colourful stars, but less of its gas and dust structure.

Only the brightest stars in this region emit mid-infrared light that can be picked up by Webb’s MIRI instrument, which is why the first image has so many fewer stars than that captured by Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) in the second image.