At 161,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy, the Tarantula Nebula is the largest and brightest star-forming region in the Local Group, the galaxies nearest the Milky Way. It is home to the hottest, most massive stars known, according to NASA.
The Webb telescope's Near-Infrared Camera, also called NIRCam, has helped researchers see the region "in a new light, including tens of thousands of never-before-seen young stars that were previously shrouded in cosmic dust," said NASA.
Webb will provide astronomers the opportunity to compare and contrast observations of star formation in the Tarantula Nebula with the telescope's deep observations of distant galaxies from the actual era of cosmic noon, according to NASA.
Webb is an international program led by NASA with the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
Webb will find the first galaxies that formed in the early universe and peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems, according to NASA.
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