The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed many stars that were hidden by dust in a stellar nursery called NGC 7129. The region is about 3,300 light-years from Earth. Webb observes infrared light, which passes through dense material that blocks other kinds of light. The stars here are at different stages of life, because more massive stars form and evolve faster. The most massive is the central star, which weighs about five to eight times as much as the Sun. It has mostly finished gathering mass and is contracting, so its temperature is rising.
To its left lies a golden cavity about 3.5 light-years across, the largest sign of the star's influence. Material thrown out when the star was younger carved into the surrounding hydrogen cloud. The star's light and these outflows make the gas glow. Much of the hydrogen is blown away, but a large amount is compressed, which sets the stage for new stars to form. To the right, clumpy red material hides younger objects called protostars.