Unveiling Pismis 24: A Stellar Marvel

Speedy Summary:

• NASA’s James webb Space Telescope (JWST) released an image on September 4, 2025, showcasing the star cluster Pismis 24 within the lobster Nebula.
• The cluster is approximately 5,500 light-years away, located in the constellation Scorpius.
• Pismis 24 houses a vibrant stellar nursery and is one of the closest sites for massive star birth, offering rare insights into how young stars evolve.
• Using Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), the image reveals thousands of stars of varying sizes and colors.

– Larger stars with six-point diffraction spikes are identified as massive ones within the cluster.
– Smaller stars appear in shades of white, yellow, or red depending on their type and surrounding dust.
– Tens of thousands of background Milky Way galaxy stars are also visible behind this cluster.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

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Indian Opinion Analysis:

The stunning capture by NASA’s James Webb Space telescope serves as a critical resource for advancing global understanding of star formation processes-a field relevant to India’s growing interest in space research under its space agency ISRO. By studying clusters like Pismis 24 through international scientific collaborations or indirect access to data repositories such as those facilitated by NASA’s databases, Indian astrophysics programs can leverage these findings to complement domestic pursuits.

The discovery emphasizes interconnected global efforts in astronomy and positions India favorably as it continues expanding its own capabilities through satellite technology and potential interplanetary missions aiming at celestial phenomena exploration.