A brilliant concentration of stars takes center stage in this Aug. 11, 2026, image taken byNASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.
Webb observed IRS 3, a star near the end of its life cycle, located within this starfield.
Webb’s mid-infrared data revealed the clear signature of oxygen-rich silicate dust, as well as, for the first time, water, in its surrounding dust envelope.
Read more about this discovery.
Image Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, F. Peißker, J. Lu, F. Yusef-Zadeh, N. B. Sabha, C. Chan