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Zoom to Pismis 24

This zoom-in video shows the location of the young star cluster Pismis 24 on the sky. It begins with a ground-based photo of the constellation Scorpius by the late astrophotographer Akira Fujii. The sequence closes in on the Lobster Nebula, using views from the Digitized Sky Survey. As the video homes in on a select portion, it fades to a VISTA image in infrared light. The zoom continues in to the region around Pismis 24, where it transitions to the stunning image captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in near-infrared light.

  • Release Date
    September 4, 2025
  • Science Release
    Glittering Glimpse of Star Birth From NASA’s Webb Telescope
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Video: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Alyssa Pagan (STScI); Narration: Frank Summers (STScI); Script Writer: Frank Summers (STScI); Music: Christian Nieves (STScI); Audio: Danielle Kirshenblat (STScI); Producer: Gregory Bacon (STScI); Acknowledgment: VISTA, DSS, Akira Fujii

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  • Video: 3840 × 2160, 60 FPS
    mp4 (46.7 MB)
  • Video: 1920 × 1080, 60 FPS
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  • Video: Vertical Format, 2160 × 3840, 60 FPS
    mp4 (46.75 MB)
  • Video: Vertical Format, 1080 × 1920, 60 FPS
    mp4 (47.22 MB)
  • Audio: Zoom to Pismis 24 Soundtrack (Christian Nieves, STScI)
    wav (15.68 MB)
  • Captions
    srt (708 B)
  • Image: Poster Image, 1280 × 720
    png (1.64 MB)

Related Images & Videos

In what appears as a celestial dreamscape, a blue and black sky filled with brilliant stars covers about two thirds of the image. The stars are different sizes and shades of white, beige, yellow, and light orange. Across the bottom third of the scene is a craggy, mountain-like vista with spire-like peaks and deep, seemingly misty valleys. These so-called mountains appear in varying shades of orange, yellow, and brown. Above their soaring spires is a wispy, ethereal white cloud that stretched horizontally across the scene. Steam appears to rise from the mountaintops and join with this cloud. At the top, right corner of the image, a swath of orange and brown structure cuts diagonally across the sky.

Pismis 24 (NIRCam Image)

Webb captured this sparkling scene of star birth in Pismis 24, a young star cluster about 5,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Scorpius. This region is one of the best places to explore the properties of hot young stars and how they evolve.

Image titled "James Webb Space Telescope, Pismis 24, NGC 6357" with compass arrows, scale bar, and color key. Image shows brilliant stars against a blue and black sky covering about two thirds of the image. Across the bottom third is a craggy, mountain-like vista with soaring peaks and deep, seemingly misty valleys. A wispy white cloud stretches horizontally across the mountaintops. At bottom left, compass arrows indicate the orientation of the image on the sky. The north arrow points downward in the 6 ou2019clock direction. The east arrow points in the 3 ou2019clock direction. At lower right is a scale bar labeled 1 light-year. The length of the bar is a about one-eighth 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, filters are: F090W is blue; F187N is blue-green; F200W is yellow-green; F335M is orange; and F470N is red.

Pismis 24 (NIRCam Compass Image)

This image of Pismis 24, also called NGC 6357, was captured by the James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera). For reference, it shows compass arrows, scale bar, and color key.

In what appears as a celestial dreamscape, a blue and black sky filled with brilliant stars covers the top quarter of the image. The stars are different sizes and shades of white, beige, yellow, and light orange. Near the middle of the field, the two largest stars are white with six-pointed diffraction spikes. Across the bottom quarter of the scene is a craggy, mountain-like vista with a spire-like peak pointing toward those two largest stars. The so-called mountain appears in varying shades of orange, yellow, and brown. A wispy, ethereal white cloud stretches across the scene, separating the apparent mountain from the blue and black sky.

Expedition to Star Cluster Pismis 24

This scientific visualization takes viewers on a journey to a glittering young star cluster called Pismis 24. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured this fantastical scene in the heart of the Lobster Nebula, approximately 5,500 light-years from Earth. This image, ...

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Details

Last Updated
Dec 16, 2025
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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