JWST Reveals N159: A Low-Metallicity Star Nursery in the Large Magellanic Cloud
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has released a new image of the N159 star-forming region, located 161,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Selected as the Picture of the Month for October 2026, the image captures a turbulent 'cauldron' of gas where new stars are forming. The region features a lower metallicity than the Milky Way, offering astronomers a unique opportunity to study conditions similar to those in the early universe. The image highlights distinct chemical signatures, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and ionized hydrogen, revealing the complex chemistry of stellar nurseries.