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Brown Dwarfs in IC 348 (NIRCam Image)

Image of wispy pink-purple hair-like filaments and a scattering of stars, with three image details pulled out in square boxes stacked vertically along the right.

This image from the NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows the central portion of the star cluster IC 348. Astronomers combed the cluster in search of tiny, free-floating brown dwarfs: objects too small to be stars but larger than most planets. They found three brown dwarfs that are less than eight times the mass of Jupiter, which are circled in the main image and shown in the detailed pullouts at right. The smallest weighs just three to four times Jupiter, challenging theories for star formation.

The wispy curtains filling the image are interstellar material reflecting the light from the cluster’s stars – what is known as a reflection nebula. The material also includes carbon-containing molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. The bright star closest to the center of the frame is actually a pair of type B stars in a binary system, which are the most massive stars in the cluster. Winds from these stars may help sculpt the large loop seen on the right side of the field of view.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    03:44:34.28
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    +32:09:43.10
  • 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.
    About 1,000 lightyears
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    This image is about 1.9 arcminutes across (.6 lightyears)

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 image was created with Webb data from proposal: 1229 (C. Alves de Oliveira). Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    NIRCam
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    28 August 2022
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F277W, F360M, F444W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    IC 348
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Star-forming region
  • Release Date
    December 13, 2023
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Webb Identifies Tiniest Free-Floating Brown Dwarf
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Kevin Luhman (PSU), Catarina Alves de Oliveira (ESA)

Downloads

  • Full Res (For Print), 5482 × 5077
    tif (37.14 MB)
  • Full Res (For Display), 5482 × 5077
    png (31.12 MB)
  • 2000 × 1852
    png (4.24 MB)
Image of wispy pink-purple hair-like filaments and a scattering of stars, with three image details pulled out in square boxes stacked vertically along the right.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope using the NIRCam instrument. Several filters were used to sample specific wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are:  Blue: F277W, Green: F360M, Red: F444W

Related Images & Videos

Image showing wispy pink-purple filaments and a scattering of stars.

IC 348 (NIRCam Image)

This image from the NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows the central portion of the star cluster IC 348. Astronomers combed the cluster in search of tiny, free-floating brown dwarfs: objects too small to be stars but larger than...

An image showing wispy pink-purple filaments and a scattering of stars.

IC 348 (NIRCam Compass Image)

This image of star cluster IC 348, captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), shows compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference. The north and east compass arrows show the orientation of the image on the sky. Note that the relationship between north and east on...

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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, ESA, CSA, STScI, Kevin Luhman (PSU), Catarina Alves de Oliveira (ESA)

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