This new image, released on April 4, 2025, showcases the dazzling young star cluster NGC 346. Although both the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope have released images of NGC 346 previously, this image includes new data and is the first to combine Hubble observations made at infrared, optical, and ultraviolet wavelengths into an intricately detailed view of this vibrant star-forming factory.
Hubble’s exquisite sensitivity and resolution were instrumental in uncovering the secrets of NGC 346’s star formation. Using two sets of observations taken 11 years apart, researchers traced the motions of NGC 346’s stars, revealing them to be spiraling in toward the center of the cluster. This spiraling motion arises from a stream of gas from outside of the cluster that fuels star formation in the center of the turbulent cloud.
Learn more about NGC 346 and the nebula it has shaped.
Image credit: ESA/Hubble and NASA, A. Nota, P. Massey, E. Sabbi, C. Murray, M. Zamani (ESA/Hubble)
这张于2025年4月4日发布的新图像展示了耀眼的年轻星团NGC 346。尽管詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜和哈勃太空望远镜此前都曾发布过NGC 346的图像，但这张图像包含了新的数据，并且是首张将哈勃在红外光、可见光和紫外光波段的观测数据结合起来，呈现出对这个充满活力的恒星形成工厂的精细视图。
哈勃望远镜卓越的灵敏度和分辨率在揭示NGC 346恒星形成的秘密中发挥了关键作用。研究人员使用两组相隔11年的观测数据，追踪了NGC 346中恒星的运动，发现它们正呈螺旋状向星团中心运动。这种螺旋运动来自于星团外部注入的气体流，为这个动荡云团的中心提供了恒星形成的燃料。
图片来源: ESA/Hubble and NASA, A. Nota, P. Massey, E. Sabbi, C. Murray, M. Zamani (ESA/Hubble)
