Young Stars of NGC 346

Explanation: Star cluster NGC 346 is embedded in the largest star forming region in the Small Magellanic Cloud , some 210,000 light-years distant. The massive stars of NGC 346 are short lived, but very energetic . Their winds and radiation sweep out an interstellar cavern in the gas and dust cloud about 200 light-years across, triggering star formation and sculpting the region's dense inner edge. Cataloged as N66, the star forming region also appears to contain a large population of infant stars. A mere 3 to 5 million years old and not yet burning hydrogen in their cores, the infant stars are strewn about the embedded star cluster. In the false-color Hubble Space Telescope image , visible and near-infrared light are seen as blue and green, while light from atomic hydrogen emission is red.