Brilliance of Pismis 24 Unveiled

Quick Summary

• NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope released a striking image on September 4, 2025, of star cluster Pismis 24 located inside the Lobster Nebula.
• The cluster is about 5,500 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Scorpius and is an active site of massive star birth.
• Captured using Webb’s NIRCam (near-Infrared Camera), the image reveals thousands of stars in varied colors and sizes-including massive stars with six-point diffraction spikes and smaller stars shown as white, yellow, or red depending on their type and dust envelopment.
• The telescope also depicts tens of thousands of background stars belonging to the Milky Way galaxy.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The unveiling of the Pismis 24 star cluster by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope provides significant scientific insights into stellar evolution and processes critical for understanding cosmic phenomena. For India-a growing space exploration hub-this discovery could encourage collaboration in astrophysical research while inspiring domestic advancements in infra-red astronomy technology similar to Webb’s NIRCam system. Institutions like ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) could leverage such findings for exploring deep-space missions aimed at understanding star formation closer to home. Furthermore, this event holds educational importance, nurturing interest among Indian students pursuing careers in astronomy and astrophysics.

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