Right next to the Milky Way galaxy, about 210,000 light-years from Earth, is a dwarf galaxy known as the Small Magellanic Cloud (MMO).
Measuring about 18,900 light-years across and containing about 3 billion stars, the MMO and its counterpart, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) orbit the Milky Way as satellite galaxies.
Scientists are particularly interested in these satellites because they can teach us about star formation and the process by which galaxies evolve by merging, which is something the Milky Way will do with these two galaxies someday, Science alert reported.
Another interesting feature of the MMO is the impressive star cluster known as NGC 346, located near the center of the brightest star-forming region in the MMO, the hydrogen-rich nebula designated N66.
NASA has released a new image of this star cluster taken by the venerable Hubble Space Telescope that provides a unique and breathtaking view. These images were made possible by Hubble's sharp resolution and unique ability to make sensitive ultraviolet observations.
The interaction between dozens of hot, young, blue stars and their surrounding dust and gas turns this region into one of the most dynamic and intricately detailed star-forming clusters ever observed.
NGC 346 has been observed by Hubble in the past and more recently by the James Webb Space Telescope, but their images combine visible and infrared light, showing the structure of the gas and dust in the surrounding nebula. The latest view combines ultraviolet and some visible light data from Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3).
The goal of these observations is to learn more about star formation and how it shapes the interstellar medium (ISM) of low-metallicity galaxies like the IMO. These conditions are thought to be similar to those that existed in the early universe, when there were very few heavy elements.
Only after the first generation of stars (population III) and galaxies appeared - about 100 million to one billion years after the Big Bang - did heavier elements begin to form. They spread out into space when these stars reached the end of their relatively short life cycles and exploded in a supernova.
After more than 3 decades of operation, the Hubble Space Telescope still fulfills its original purpose: helping scientists study the origin and evolution of the universe. | BGNES
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