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How Massive Star Clusters Shape Galaxy Evolution

May 07, 2026
How Massive Star Clusters Shape Galaxy Evolution
By Evan Gough (https://ift.tt/dNYjEn4)

This is one of the arms in M51, a spiral galaxy also known by its popular name the Whirlpool galaxy. The JWST captured this image with its Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). The image is part of an effort to study star clusters, and how their stellar feedback shapess further star formation and galaxy evolution. Image Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Pedrini, A. Adamo (Stockholm University) and the FEAST JWST team

A team of researchers used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope together with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to observe almost 9,000 star clusters in four nearby galaxies. They studied younger clusters that were still embedded in their natal gas clouds, and older ones that had dissipated that gas. Their results show that more massive star clusters emerge more quickly from their birth, clearing away gas and filling the galaxy with ultraviolet light. The research presents a better understanding of star formation in galaxies, something lacking in scientific simulations, as well as how and where planets can form.



May 7, 2026 at 11:45PM
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