Star Formation in Triangulum

The formation of a star is a violent and tumultuous process. With gas and dust whipping around at tens of thousands of km/h and temperatures upwards of 10000 degrees, it’s hardly peaceful. However, at galactic scales, this energetic process can barely be detected. This image shows a spiral arm of the Triangulum galaxy where thousands of stars are forming. This image was created using the unprecedented power of the James Webb Space Telescope, combined with the Hubble Space Telescope. This image lets us see individual stars forming here in Triangulum for the first time. In the hearts of the yellow clouds of gas and dust stretching across the image, you can see bright red cores where young stars are beginning to form. My research is focused on identifying these newborn stars using this Webb and Hubble image. Knowing where these stars are forming allows us to better understand the conditions of star formation in a different galactic environment. By studying star formation, we uncover secrets to our own star system’s origin and how our unique planet was formed.