The James Webb Telescope has taken new images of the Sagittarius B2 molecular cloud, the biggest and most active star-forming region in our Milky Way galaxy.
What we know about the largest star-forming cloud
Using its advanced instruments, Webb shows a colourful scene filled with glowing stars, hot gas, and thick dust.
These details were invisible to older telescopes, but Webb’s ability to detect infrared light allows astronomers to peek through dense clouds that normally block our view.
Astronomer Adam Ginsburg, who leads the research, explained that Webb’s data will help scientists understand how massive stars are born.
“Webb’s powerful infrared instruments provide detail we’ve never been able to see before, which will help us to understand some of the still-elusive mysteries of massive star formation,” he said.
The role of gas and dust
The image shows not only bright stars but also dark patches.
These dark areas are not empty — they are filled with dense gas and dust, where new stars are forming but their light has not yet broken through. This “raw material” is crucial, as stars are built from these thick clouds over millions of years.
Different instruments on the James Webb Telescope provide different views. The NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) highlights colourful stars, while the MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) shows glowing warm dust and only the very brightest stars.
Comparing the two allows scientists to build a more complete picture of what is happening inside Sagittarius B2.
Why Sagittarius B2 is special
Located just a few hundred light-years from the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* at the centre of the galaxy, Sagittarius B2 is unusually active.
While it holds only about 10% of the gas in the galactic centre, it produces around 50% of the stars there. Astronomers want to know why this particular cloud is so productive compared to other star-forming regions nearby.
University of Florida researcher Nazar Budaiev said Webb is uncovering both answers and new mysteries.
“For everything new Webb is showing us, there are also new mysteries to explore, and it’s exciting to be a part of that ongoing discovery,” he explained.
The James Webb Telescope, launched in 2021, is a joint project between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). It is designed to study the universe in greater detail than any telescope before it.
From distant galaxies to nearby star-forming regions, Webb’s observations are helping scientists piece together how stars and planets form, and ultimately, how life could exist elsewhere in the universe.