<ul><li>The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is a dwarf galaxy orbiting our Milky Way galaxy, perfect for studying how stars form.</li><li>NGC 602 is a star cluster in the SMC that resembles a Christmas wreath, with hot, young blue stars born from the collapse of a gas cloud.</li><li>The gas in the SMC contains fewer heavy elements than the Milky Way, making NGC 602 a valuable mimic of stars born billions of years ago.</li><li>The image of NGC 602, captured by the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the James Webb Space Telescope, shows the life cycle of stars from formation to dispersal.</li></ul>

Space photo of the week: James Webb and Chandra spot a cosmic 'Christmas Wreath' sparkling in the galaxy next door

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