200,000 light-years from Earth, the James Webb Space Telescope found clues to star formation in mysterious star cluster NGC 346.

CTOnews.com, January 13 / PRNewswire-Asianet /-- NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has discovered clues about star formation during its exploration of the mysterious star cluster NGC 346. Located 200,000 light-years from Earth, NGC 346 belongs to the Small Magellanic Cloud Nebula and is made up of dynamic star clusters.

CTOnews.com lesson: NGC 346 contains pink and orange types of hydrogen, surrounded by dust. Pink gases represent energetic hydrogen, usually at temperatures as high as 10000 °C (about 18000 °F) or higher, while orange gases represent dense molecular hydrogen at temperatures around-18000 °C (about-300 °F) or lower.

These gases and dust shape star clusters and form molecular clouds that provide energy for protostars. Astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope to observe the presence of gas around protostars and the composition of stars and other planets.

It has been found that the Small Magellanic Cloud nebula appears in a galactic environment around noon (cosmic noon). These fascinating findings were presented at the 241st meeting of the American Astronomical Society on January 11, 2023.