Stellar Nursery of Pismis 24 (detail view)

Webb’s infrared view reveals newborn stars emerging from dense clouds of gas and dust in a star-forming region called Pismis 24, located within the Lobster Nebula about 5,500 light-years away. The golden and orange clouds that appear to glow are illuminated from within, as infrared light pierces through material that would otherwise hide these young stars from view. At the center lies Pismis 24-1, once believed to be a single giant star but now known to be at least two. Each of these stars is dozens of times more massive than the Sun and among the most luminous ever observed. Their intense radiation and stellar winds carve vast cavities in the surrounding nebula, shaping the region’s striking forms. The tallest spire in the image, sculpted by these same forces, stretches about 5.4 light-years, large enough to contain over 200 solar systems. Pismis 24 remains one of the closest and most active nurseries of massive stars, offering astronomers an extraordinary view of how such stars are b