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In the Cygnus OB2 star cluster, giant stars send out large amounts of high-energy radiation that can disrupt relatively fragile disks of dust and gas that are in the process of coalescing to form new planets. These images show NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory data detailing the diffuse X-ray emission and young stars, with infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope revealing young stars and the cooler dust and gas throughout the region. These data were used to create the best census of young stars in the cluster.

NASA Unburies Danger Zones of Star Cluster

In the Cygnus OB2 star cluster, giant stars send out large amounts of high-energy radiation that can disrupt relatively fragile disks of dust and gas that are in the process of coalescing to form new planets. These images show NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory data detailing the diffuse X-ray emission and young stars, with infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope revealing young stars and the cooler dust and gas throughout the region. These data were used to create the best census of young stars in the cluster.

Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Drake et al, IR: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Spitzer; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk
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Image CreditX-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Drake et al, IR: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Spitzer; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk
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