IC Stars

Data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope combine to reveal an otherworldly view of the star-forming region IC 348. In this image released on July 23, 2025, X-rays from Chandra are red, green, and blue, while infrared data from Webb are pink, orange, and purple.

The wispy structures that dominate the image are interstellar material that reflect the light from the cluster’s stars; this is known as a reflection nebula. The point-like sources in Chandra’s X-ray data are young stars in the cluster developing there.

Text credit: Megan Watzke

Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Infrared: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major