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Stellar Cluster NGC 1333 (Chandra, Spitzer, DSS, Mayall)

Telescope image of a group of stars

Stellar cluster NGC 1333 is home to a large number of brown dwarfs. Astronomers will use Webb’s powerful infrared instruments to learn more about these dim cousins to the cluster’s bright newborn stars. This image was made by combining data from the Chandra and Spitzer space telescopes and ground-based observatories.

About the Object

  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Perseus
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    1,000 light-years (306.6 parsecs)

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.

    This new composite image of stellar cluster NGC 1333 combines X-rays from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory (pink); infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope (red); and optical data from the Digitized Sky Survey and the National Optical Astronomical Observatories' Mayall 4-meter telescope on Kitt Peak near Tucson, Arizona. The Chandra data reveal 95 young stars glowing in X-ray light, 41 of which had not been seen previously using Spitzer because they lacked infrared emission from a surrounding disk. NASA 

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    CXC, SST>Infrared Array Camera (IRAC), DSS, and NOAO>Mayall 4-meter telescope
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    7-2-2015
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    NGC 1333
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    stellar cluster, reflection nebula
  • Release Date
    January 4, 2018
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Webb Telescope to Investigate Mysterious Brown Dwarfs
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, CXC, SSC, NOAO, DSS

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Telescope image of a group of stars
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

Pink: Chandra X-ray ObservatoryRed: Spitzer Space TelescopeOptical: DSS and Mayall 4-meter

Related Images & Videos

Illustration of a large spherical object with alternating bands bright orange and dark brown

Brown Dwarf (Illustration)

Artist’s conception of a brown dwarf, featuring the cloudy atmosphere of a planet and the residual light of an almost-star.

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Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Image Credit

NASA, CXC, SSC, NOAO, DSS

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