Astronomers have captured stunning images of cosmic structures resembling giant holiday wreaths, symbolizing the endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth in the universe. These celestial wreaths are found in the star cluster NGC 602, located on the edge of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a neighboring galaxy around 200,000 light-years away. NGC 602’s stars, with fewer heavy elements than our Sun, offer a rare glimpse into the early stages of star formation, echoing the conditions of the universe billions of years ago.

A recent image combines data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the James Webb Space Telescope. The wreath-like outline in Webb’s data, glowing in orange, yellow, green, and blue, consists of dense clouds of dust. Chandra’s X-ray data (shown in red) reveals young, massive stars within the wreath, their intense energy lighting up interstellar space. These stars are responsible for the X-ray emissions caused by powerful winds that flow through the cluster, merging into an extended cloud of glowing gas.

Additionally, a new version of the “Christmas Tree Cluster” (NGC 2264) has been captured in a stunning image. Located just 2,500 light-years away, this cluster of young stars, only one to five million years old, is much closer than NGC 602. Chandra’s X-ray data, combined with optical data from astrophotographer Michael Clow, reveals the vibrant activity in this stellar nursery.