Webb Sees Turbulent Star Nursery

In this Webb image released on Oct. 22, 2026, we see a turbulent cauldron of star formation filled with dense clumps of gas. This region is named N159 and is located 161,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of the satellite galaxies orbiting the Milky Way galaxy.

This region has a lower metallicity (proportion of elements that are heavier than helium and hydrogen) than the Milky Way, giving astronomers an opportunity to learn more about conditions found in the early universe and how stars formed under those conditions.

Read more about N159.

Image credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, E. Sabbi, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb); Acknowledgement: M. H. Özsaraç

Full text from nasa.gov (public domain).