US EditionJames Webb Space Telescope marks anniversary with Cat’s Paw Nebula image
UNITED STATES, JUL 14 – Scientists identified multiple free-floating brown dwarfs with masses as low as twice that of Jupiter in the Cat's Paw Nebula, expanding knowledge of star formation processes.
- On July 14, 2025, the space observatory known as JWST celebrated three years of scientific exploration by unveiling a new image of the Cat's Paw Nebula, a star-forming region approximately 4,000 light-years distant in the constellation Scorpius.
- This celebration followed JWST’s mission launched to explore the universe using infrared light from its stable orbit at Lagrange Point 2, about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.
- With its advanced near-infrared camera, JWST examined a small "toe bean" section of the nebula, identifying groupings of gas, dust, and newly formed stars influencing their surroundings, and also uncovered previously unknown low-mass brown dwarfs near the IC 348 star cluster.
- Researchers Kevin Luhman and Catarina Alves de Oliveira published a 2025 study proposing a new spectral class 'H' for hydrocarbons found in these brown dwarfs, which include some with circumstellar disks potentially capable of forming planets.
- JWST continues to meet its science objectives by uncovering previously hidden universe aspects and is expected to guide future missions like NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and the Habitable Worlds Observatory.
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Daily Journal
James Webb Space Telescope marks anniversary with Cat’s Paw Nebula image
The telescope peered into a single “toe bean” of the nebula, uncovering clusters of gas, dust and young stars.
See the James Webb Space Telescopes’s amazing 3rd anniversary highlights
See the James Webb Space Telescopes's amazing 3rd anniversary highlights The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has been exploring the cosmos for 3 years. See some of the amazing highlights. Credit to : VideoFromSpaceSee the James Webb Space Telescopes's amazing 3rd anniversary highlights The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has been exploring the cosmos for 3 years. See some of the amazing highlights. Credit to : VideoFromSpace Amaz…
Featured Image: Low-Mass Brown Dwarfs in a Class of Their Own?
The glowing green nebula in this JWST image surrounds the star cluster IC 348, which is the subject of a recent study by Kevin Luhman (Penn State University) and Catarina Alves de Oliveira (European Space Agency). Using JWST’s Near-Infrared Camera, Luhman and Alves de Oliveira searched the cluster’s young stellar population for free-floating brown dwarfs — objects that are less massive than stars but more massive than most planets — and discover…
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