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                           Astronomy Picture of the Day   
      
       Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our   
         fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation   
                       written by a professional astronomer.   
      
                                  2023 January 13   
      
                            Young Star Cluster NGC 346   
      Image Credit: Science - NASA, ESA, CSA, Olivia C. Jones (UK ATC), Guido   
                    De Marchi (ESTEC), Margaret Meixner (USRA)   
        Processing - Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Nolan Habel (USRA), Laura Lenkic   
                       (USRA), Laurie E. U. Chu (NASA Ames)   
      
      Explanation: The most massive young star cluster in the Small   
      Magellanic Cloud is NGC 346, embedded in our small satellite galaxy's   
      largest star forming region some 210,000 light-years distant. Of course   
      the massive stars of NGC 346 are short lived, but very energetic. Their   
      winds and radiation sculpt the edges of the region's dusty molecular   
      cloud triggering star-formation within. The star forming region also   
      appears to contain a large population of infant stars. A mere 3 to 5   
      million years old and not yet burning hydrogen in their cores, the   
      infant stars are strewn about the embedded star cluster. This   
      spectacular infrared view of NGC 346 is from the James Webb Space   
      Telescope's NIRcam. Emission from atomic hydrogen ionized by the   
      massive stars' energetic radiation as well as and molecular hydrogen   
      and dust in the star-forming molecular cloud is detailed in pink and   
      orange hues. Webb's sharp image of the young star-forming region spans   
      240 light-years at the distance of the Small Magellanic Cloud.   
      
                         Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.   
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                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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