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Explanation: A great nebulous region near bright star omicron Persei offers this study in cosmic contrasts. Captured in the telescopic frame is a colorful complex of dust, gas, and stars spanning about 3 degrees on the sky along the edge of the Perseus molecular cloud, some 1000 light-years away. Surrounded by a bluish halo of dust-reflected starlight, omicron Persei itself is just left of center. Immediately below it lies the intriguing young star cluster IC 348 recently explored at infrared wavelengths by the James Webb Space Telescope. In silhouette against the diffuse reddish glow of hydrogen gas, dark and obscuring...

Researchers from Penn State University and the European Space Agency havr located the smallest known brown dwarf by using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. Photo courtesy of the European Space Agency ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dec. 13 (UPI) -- NASA said its James Webb Space Telescope has spotted the "tiniest free-floating brown dwarf" ever identified. "Brown dwarfs are objects that straddle the dividing line between stars and planets," the space agency said in a press release Wednesday, "They form like stars," NASA said. However, unlike stars, Brown dwarfs don't have enough mass to cause nuclear fusion in their cores the way stars do....