The Orion Nebula, a star-forming region 1,350 light-years away from Earth, can be seen in stunning clarity in recently released photographs taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
More than 100 scientists from 18 different nations worked together to create the photographs, which were shown on Monday by a group of international experts, according to Agence France-Presse.
The Orion Nebula, which is located in the constellation of Orion, is similar to the setting in which our solar system evolved about 4.5 billion years ago.
The JWST collects infrared light, which enables researchers to see through the dust clouds, but the hearts of star nurseries like the Orion Nebula are impossible to study due to being cloaked in stardust.
The photographs are sufficiently detailed to show the nebula's architecture at scales comparable to those of our solar system.
Edwin Bergin, the college's chair of astronomy, and other researchers stated in a University of Michigan news release that they wanted to "get an understanding about the entire cycle of star birth" from the photographs.
"In this image, we are looking at this cycle where the first generation of stars is essentially irradiating the material for the next generation. The incredible structures we observe will detail how the feedback cycle of stellar birth occurs in our galaxy and beyond," Bergin said.
NIRCam's detector A was used to capture images of M42's northern region while observing the Orion Bar.
The JWST was launched in December, went into operation in July, and has already provided stunning photographs of Jupiter's auroras and the Tarantula Nebula.
The Orion nebula as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope (left), and the James Webb Space Telescope (right).
The JWST also discovered water vapour earlier this year on a planet the size of Jupiter that is 1,150 light-years away.
The inner region of the Orion Nebula.
In August, spectacular new photos of the Phantom Galaxy, which is a member of the grand design spiral class of galaxies, were created by combining data from the JWST and its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope.
