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FS Tau (Webb Compass Image)

FS Tau, a star-forming nebula. Clouds of blue and purple gas and dust stretch from the center to the right. Several yellow and white protostars, some showing Webb’s eight-pronged diffraction pattern, are dispersed throughout the clouds. Orange wisps and filaments of gas extend from one of the protostars at the center toward the top left and bottom right. There are numerous, distant yellow and white galaxies against the black background of space. At the bottom left are compass arrows indicating the orientation of the image on the sky. The north arrow points toward 4 o’clock. The east arrow points toward 1 o’clock. At the lower right is a scale bar labeled 2 light-years. The length of the scale bar is one-sixth the total width of the image. Below the image is a color key showing which NIRCam filters were used to create the image and which visible-light color is assigned to each filter. From left to right, NIRCam filters are: F090W is blue; F187N is cyan; F212N is green; F277W and F335M are orange; F470N is red.

This is an image of FS Tau captured by Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera), with 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 the sky (as seen from below) is flipped relative to direction arrows on a map of the ground (as seen from above).

The scale bar is labeled in astronomical units, which are typically used to measure distances in our solar system. One astronomical unit is equal to about 93 million miles or 150 million kilometers, the average distance from the Earth to the Sun.

The field of view shown in this image is approximately 19,000 astronomical units across. 

This image shows invisible near-infrared wavelengths of light that have been translated into visible-light colors. The color key shows which NIRCam filters were used when collecting the light. The color of each filter name is the visible light color used to represent the infrared light that passes through that filter. 

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    04:22:01.76
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    +26:57:28.86
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Taurus
  • 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 450 light-years away
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    This image is about 2.4 arcminutes across (0.31 light-years/19,000 au)

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: 9546 (M. Garcia Marin).

  • 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.
    13,15 Oct. 2026
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F090W, F187N, F212N, F277W, F335M, F470N
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    FS Tau
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Binary and protostar system
  • Release Date
    July 2, 2026
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Webb Reveals Stars Sparking to Life in Cosmic Celebration
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

Downloads

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FS Tau, a star-forming nebula. Clouds of blue and purple gas and dust stretch from the center to the right. Several yellow and white protostars, some showing Webb’s eight-pronged diffraction pattern, are dispersed throughout the clouds. Orange wisps and filaments of gas extend from one of the protostars at the center toward the top left and bottom right. There are numerous, distant yellow and white galaxies against the black background of space. At the bottom left are compass arrows indicating the orientation of the image on the sky. The north arrow points toward 4 o’clock. The east arrow points toward 1 o’clock. At the lower right is a scale bar labeled 2 light-years. The length of the scale bar is one-sixth the total width of the image. Below the image is a color key showing which NIRCam filters were used to create the image and which visible-light color is assigned to each filter. From left to right, NIRCam filters are: F090W is blue; F187N is cyan; F212N is green; F277W and F335M are orange; F470N is red.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images were acquired by the NIRCam instrument on the Webb Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample varying 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: F090W, Cyan: F187N, Green: F212N, Orange: F277W + 335M, Red: F470N

Related Images & Videos

FS Tau, a star-forming nebula. Clouds of transparent blue and purple gas and dust stretch from the center to the right. Several yellow and white protostars, some showing Webbu2019s eight-pronged diffraction pattern, are dispersed throughout the clouds. Orange wisps and filaments of gas extend from one of the protostars at the center toward the top left and bottom right corners. There are numerous, distant yellow and white galaxies strewn about the black background of space.

FS Tau (Webb Image)

In infrared light, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope reveals bright protostars in star system FS Tau and a tapestry of background galaxies. FS Tau B, the orange protostar slightly right of center, is thought to be responsible for the orange outflows amid the dusty region.

Side-by-side images of FS Tau, a star-forming nebula. The left, labeled Webb, shows clouds of transparent blue and purple gas and dust extending from the center to the right. Several yellow and white protostars, some showing Webbu2019s eight-pronged diffraction pattern, are within the clouds. Orange wisps of gas extend from one of the protostars at the center toward the top left and bottom right corners. The right, labeled Hubble, shows a bright white point made up of two orbiting stars with a four-pronged diffraction pattern to the right of center. At 2 ou2019clock from this star, there is another, smaller protostar, surrounded by a dark disk of matter. In the center of the image is a cavity where the clouds are thinner and background stars shine through. The stars and protostar are on the edges of this cavity and are surrounded by dark clouds that appear like thick smoke in the light. A thin, short blue jet of material extends horizontally, emerging from both sides of the disk.

FS Tau Side-by-Side (Webb and Hubble Image)

A comparison between the observations of FS Tau by NASA’s Hubble and James Webb space telescopes. Hubble’s visible-light view shows the star-forming region mostly obscured by thick dust. Webb sees through the dust, revealing how the protostars are shaping their surroundings.

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Details

Last Updated
Jul 02, 2026
Location
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Contact
Media

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

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