James Webb Space Telescope reveals cosmic ‘treasure chest’ of young stars

By Dean Murray

Space scientists have shown off a cosmic "treasure chest."

A new image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope captures spectacular star formation.

The observation comes from the Carina Nebula, which lies 7,500 light-years away in the constellation Carina (the Keel).

The European Space Agency (ESA) said: "The feature highlighted in today's image, aptly called the Treasure Chest, looks right at home in this celestial sculpture garden.

"These clouds often somewhat resemble comets, but the Treasure Chest looks distinctly like a wooden chest with its lid wide open.

"However, this chest doesn't contain jewels or gold coins, but instead a compact cluster of young stars."

Spanning roughly 260 light-years, the Carina Nebula is the nearest high-mass star-forming region, allowing astronomers to study the full range of star formation.

It is home to some of the most massive stars in the Milky Way, as well as tens of thousands of protostars, giving scientists an opportunity to study how stars shape their surroundings.

ESA said: "The star cluster is likely around 1.3 million years old, though earlier estimates found it to be as young as just 100,000 years old. Because of its youth, the cluster is still deeply embedded within the dusty clouds of the Treasure Chest."