A Tapestry of Star Birth in the Triangulum Galaxy

NGC 604 is a vast star-forming region in the Triangulum Galaxy, 2.73 million light-years from Earth. It offers astronomers something rare: a dense concentration of very young, massive stars close enough to study in detail, with more than 200 of the hottest and most massive stellar types packed into a single region.

In Webb's near-infrared view, stellar winds from these bright young stars carve cavernous bubbles into the surrounding gas and dust. The bright orange streaks trace carbon-based molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, while deeper reds mark cooler molecular hydrogen, the prime raw material for future stars.

A ghostly white and blue glow of ionized hydrogen threads through the scene, lit by ultraviolet radiation. Together, the bubbles and stretched filaments form a more detailed and complete tapestry of star birth than any previous view of this region.