NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured a new view of the stellar nursery NGC 7129, about 3,300 light-years from Earth, revealing numerous stars and protostars previously hidden by dust, the agency reported on October 6, 2026. Webb's infrared sensitivity lets astronomers peer through the dusty clouds where stars are born.

The region's most massive and mature star, LkH(alpha) 234, weighs roughly 5 to 8 times the mass of the Sun. Outflows from an earlier stage of its life carved a golden cavity spanning about 3.5 light-years, energizing hydrogen gas so that it glows. To the right, red-hued clumps hide younger protostars whose overlapping outflows create shocks and a chaotic appearance. Near a blue nebula at upper left, a protostar's disk casts a shadow against surrounding gas.

Webb's resolution builds on earlier observations by the retired Spitzer Space Telescope, showing finer filaments and many background galaxies. Astronomers will continue using the data to study how these stars shape the surrounding gas and dust.