James Webb’s NIRCam Reveals Pismis 24 in the Lobster Nebula
NASA, ESA, CSA & STScI — image credit: A. Pagan (STScI).
The James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) captured a striking image of the young star cluster Pismis 24 at the heart of the Lobster Nebula (NGC 6357), roughly 5,500 light-years from Earth. The image shows rugged, spire-like peaks of dust carved by intense radiation and stellar winds from massive infant stars.
- Instrument: JWST NIRCam (near-infrared)
- Region: Pismis 24, Lobster Nebula (NGC 6357), constellation Scorpius
- Distance: ~5,500 light-years
- Spire height: ~5.4 light-years (tip to base within the image)
- Notable star: Pismis 24-1 — actually at least two unresolved massive stars with a combined mass around 140× the Sun
Below the peaks, super-hot stars (up to several times the Sun’s temperature) emit intense radiation and fast winds that ionize gas and sculpt the nebula, carving cavities and driving streams of hot ionized gas off the ridges. The white, glowing outlines are wisps of gas and dust illuminated by starlight.
These images help astronomers study how gravity, radiation and stellar feedback interact during massive star formation. The nebula extends well beyond NIRCam’s field of view; the tallest spire visible here spans about 5.4 light-years — imagine more than 200 solar systems fitting across its tip.
Sources & further reading: ESA Webb — Pismis 24 image (official image & details); additional reporting and context from space science outlets.
What do you think this landscape of star birth looks like — a mountain range, a frozen coastline, or something else? Leave a comment below.