Hubble and Webb’s views of NGC 346

This video compares images of star-forming region NGC 346 taken in visible light with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s ACS instrument, near-infrared with the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam instrument, and mid-infrared with Webb’s MIRI instrument.

Hubble’s visible-light image is filled with thousands of stars, as well as curtains of hydrogen and oxygen gas coloured blue. In Webb’s near-infrared image, pink represents energised hydrogen, while orange represents dense, molecular hydrogen. Webb’s mid-infrared image highlights bright patches of star formation, diffuse pink emission from warm dust, and blue filaments of dusty and sooty material.