NGC 346: Star Forming Cluster in the SMC
Explanation:
Are stars still forming in the Milky Way's satellite galaxies?
Found among the Small Magellanic Cloud's (SMC's) clusters and nebulas,
NGC 346 is
a star forming region about 200 light-years across,
pictured here in the center of a
Hubble Space Telescope image.
A satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, the Small Magellanic Cloud
(
SMC)
is a wonder of the southern sky, a mere
210,000 light-years distant in the constellation of the
Toucan
(
Tucana).
Exploring
NGC 346, astronomers have identified
a population of embryonic stars strung along
the dark, intersecting dust lanes
visible here on the right.
Still collapsing within their
natal clouds,
the
stellar infants' light is reddened by
the intervening dust.
Toward the top of the frame is another star cluster
with intrinsically older and redder stars.
A small, irregular galaxy, the SMC itself
represents a type of galaxy more common in the
early Universe.
These small galaxies, though, are
thought to be
building blocks
for the larger galaxies present today.
All 30:
2020 November APODs voiced by AI
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
