James Webb Space Telescope finds 'Treasure Chest' cluster of stars in Carina Nebula

Astronomers have identified a compact cluster of young stars embedded within a cometary globule in the Carina Nebula. The object, dubbed the "Treasure Chest," is an isolated cloud of gas and dust shaped like an open box containing luminous stellar content. The discovery was made using the James Webb Space Telescope. Researchers utilized the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) to penetrate a dense layer of cosmic dust that typically blocks visible light. Data analysis revealed approximately 70 stars within the globule, including one massive star of the rare O spectral class, which is roughly 19 times more massive than the Sun. New estimates place the age of the cluster at approximately 1.3 million years. This figure is significantly higher than previous assumptions of 100,000 years, though the group remains very young by astronomical standards.