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Rho Ophiuchi (NIRCam Compass Image)

Black header across the top of the image with text reading James Webb Space Telescope, Rho Ophiuchi. At the bottom left are compass arrows indicating the orientation of the image on the sky. The north arrow points in the 9 o’clock direction. The east arrow points toward 6 o’clock. At the lower right is a scale bar labeled 0.1 light-years. The length of the scale bar is one-seventh 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, filter F187N is dark blue; F200W is pale blue; F335W is blue-green; F444W is yellow; F470N is red.

Image of star formation in the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, 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 color key shows which filters from Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument 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.

Read the full image caption.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    16:26:30.56
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -24:23:04.16
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Ophiuchus
  • 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.
    390 light-years away
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    Image is about 0.7 light-years across (6.4 arcminutes)

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: 2739 (K. Pontoppidan)

  • 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.
    07 March 2023, 4-6 April 2023
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F187N, F200W, F335W, F444W, F470N
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Rho Ophiuchi
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Star-forming region
  • Release Date
    July 12, 2023
  • Science Release
    Webb Celebrates First Year of Science With Close-up on Birth of Sun-like Stars
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Klaus Pontoppidan (STScI); Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

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Black header across the top of the image with text reading James Webb Space Telescope, Rho Ophiuchi. At the bottom left are compass arrows indicating the orientation of the image on the sky. The north arrow points in the 9 o’clock direction. The east arrow points toward 6 o’clock. At the lower right is a scale bar labeled 0.1 light-years. The length of the scale bar is one-seventh 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, filter F187N is dark blue; F200W is pale blue; F335W is blue-green; F444W is yellow; 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 are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope using the NIRCam instrument. Several filters were used to sample wide and narrow 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: F187N, Light Blue: F200W, Cyan: F335W, Yellow: F444W, Red: F470N

Related Images & Videos

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Rho Ophiuchi (NIRCam Image)

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Rho Ophiuchi Video Tour

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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, Klaus Pontoppidan (STScI)

Image Processing Credit

Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

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