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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsAstronomers image star clusters in other galaxies by combining high-resolution visible and ultraviolet observations with infrared views that can penetrate dust. They then compare those images with gas maps and spectra to estimate cluster ages and masses and understand how clusters relate to their surroundings. Hubble and Webb reveal different stages of that story; neither provides the whole picture alone.
How do astronomers see star clusters in other galaxies?
Star clusters form within clouds of gas and dust. In images, they may appear as compact groups of stars, bright knots in a galaxy, or sources partly hidden by their natal clouds. But a cluster image is more than a portrait: a population of clusters at different ages records how star formation proceeds in a galaxy.
Studying other galaxies lets astronomers examine many star-forming regions across different environments and evolutionary stages. From inside the Milky Way, our view through the galactic disk limits how easily we can see its full population. Nearby clusters in the Milky Way and its satellite galaxies can be examined in finer detail, however, so observations of our galactic neighborhood and more distant systems answer complementary questions. ESA/Webb’s account of the FEAST study describes the value of comparing cluster populations across galaxies.
What do Hubble and Webb each reveal?
The observatories differ in wavelength, and that matters because dust blocks visible light more readily than infrared light. Their images are complementary views of star-forming regions, not interchangeable photographs.
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| Observatory or data | What it reveals | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Hubble visible and ultraviolet imaging | Exposed young stars and clusters at high angular resolution; it can distinguish individual stars in some clusters. | Dust can hide the youngest populations. Whether stars are resolved depends on the target and observing conditions. NASA’s Hubble overview explains the observatory’s role. |
| Webb infrared imaging | Young clusters still embedded in dusty star-forming regions, as well as populations that have partly emerged. | Infrared observations help peer through dust, but do not replace optical observations or all other measurements. The FEAST study used Webb alongside Hubble. |
| Gas maps and spectroscopy | The clusters’ connection to surrounding gas and different phases of star formation; spectra and light also help estimate cluster properties. | These are coordinated datasets, not conclusions drawn from a single composite image. NASA’s overview of galaxy observations describes the multiwavelength approach. |
In the FEAST study, Webb revealed embedded and partly emerged cluster populations, while Hubble optical images supplied an unobscured comparison sample. The two views help astronomers connect dust-shrouded early stages with clusters visible after they emerge. ESA’s report on FEAST summarizes that comparison.
How do scientists estimate a cluster’s age and mass?
Astronomers analyze the light from clusters and, where available, their spectra. Those measurements can be used to estimate properties such as age and mass; the estimates gain context when researchers compare the clusters with the gas around them and with populations observed at other stages. A bright-looking knot alone does not establish a cluster’s age or mass.
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Dust is a key complication: visible-light images can miss the youngest clusters because they remain embedded in their birth clouds. Infrared imaging helps reveal those populations, while optical and ultraviolet observations trace exposed stars. Combining these views with gas maps and spectroscopy helps researchers build a more complete account of cluster formation. NASA describes the coordinated datasets used to study galaxies.
What did Webb find in the 2026 FEAST study?
The FEAST team identified nearly 9,000 clusters across four nearby galaxies: M51, M83, NGC 628, and NGC 4449. The study reported that the most massive clusters emerged from their birth clouds after around five million years, while less massive clusters were around seven to eight million years old when they emerged. These are approximate timings reported for the studied populations, not universal lifetimes for all star clusters. ESA’s FEAST release and NASA’s May 22, 2026, feature describe the findings.
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Those different emergence times give scientists constraints for testing models of how clusters form and how their young stars affect surrounding material. Angela Adamo, the study’s lead author and FEAST programme principal investigator, said the results provide “important new constraints” on the process. ESA’s release attributes the statement to Adamo.
Can Hubble resolve individual stars in another galaxy?
Sometimes, but not in every cluster. Resolution depends on the instrument, wavelength, target distance, and the cluster itself. In a 1994 Hubble study of super-star clusters in NGC 1569 and NGC 1705, clusters that had appeared point-like from the ground became partially resolved in Hubble images, while one remained barely resolved. The three clusters had reported half-light radii of 2.2–3.4 parsecs. Those results illustrate the difference improved resolution can make; they do not mean Hubble can resolve every star in every extragalactic cluster. The NASA Technical Reports Server record describes the study.
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What can a single image tell you—and what can’t it?
A published image can show where bright or dusty regions lie and how a cluster appears at a particular wavelength. A color composite may combine several observations to make distinct features easier to see, but it is not the full measurement. Determining ages, masses, and relationships to gas requires analysis of the underlying observations, often including multiple wavelengths, gas maps, and spectra. NASA’s account of galaxy imaging explains why those datasets are used together.
These results come from professional observatory observations and scientific image analysis. The evidence described here does not establish that consumer equipment can resolve individual clusters in other galaxies; a distant galaxy may appear as a source without revealing its constituent clusters.
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