The open cluster Westerlund 1, showcased in this new Webb Picture of the Month, is located roughly 12 000 light-years away in the southern constellation Ara (the Altar) where it resides behind a huge interstellar cloud of gas and dust. It was discovered in 1961 from Australia by Swedish astronomer Bengt Westerlund. Westerlund 1 is an incomparable natural laboratory for the study of extreme stellar physics, helping astronomers to find out how the most massive stars in our Galaxy live and die.
https://i.redd.it/6o74hryo4gud1.jpeg
5 Comments
For human colonization we need to look elsewhere tho, someone already planted a flag there.
Looks cute might take my spaceship there next weekend with the girls for some shipping.
This looks like a bird’s-eye photo of a big city with a star filter, light lines look like roads while stars are the buildings
Something about diffraction spikes makes stars look more exotic. This image is full of ’em. It’s beautiful.
I get that Webb’s hexagonal streaks can be considered charming, idiosyncratic, and novel, but does anyone else get the feeling that they ruin otherwise pristine views?