James Webb Lifts Galactic Gas Veil: How Newborn Stars Shape Their Neighbors' Fate (xataka.com)

• Webb and Hubble analyzed 9,000 star clusters across four galaxies.
• Massive clusters clear gas in ~5 Myr, less massive in ~8 Myr.
• Early gas removal limits planet formation via UV exposure.

"An international team used Hubble and James Webb to study 9,000 star clusters in four nearby galaxies. Webb's infrared capability pierced the gas clouds, revealing that more massive clusters disperse gas faster (5 million years) than less massive ones (8 million years). This stellar feedback halts star formation and exposes protoplanetary disks to intense UV radiation, limiting planet formation. The findings improve understanding of galaxy evolution."