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    "story_id": "mp-2026-09-28-013",
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    "headline": "JWST Found Four Faint Star Clusters in M82's Halo",
    "slug": "jwst-found-four-faint-star-clusters-in-m82-s-halo",
    "dek": "The most diffuse candidates occupy the murky boundary between globular clusters and dwarf galaxies.",
    "summary": "The most diffuse candidates occupy the murky boundary between globular clusters and dwarf galaxies.",
    "body_text": "Archival JWST/NIRCam images revealed four faint diffuse star-cluster candidates in the halo of M82. Resolved stars and color-magnitude diagrams are consistent with predominantly old populations, while fitted sizes of roughly 5.4 to 10.5 parsecs make them more extended than typical globular clusters. The faintest candidate approaches the regime of ultra-faint compact satellites. Because the systems were found by visual inspection, the authors argue similar objects may be missing from existing catalogs; spectroscopy and broader searches are still needed.",
    "why_it_matters": "The most diffuse candidates occupy the murky boundary between globular clusters and dwarf galaxies.",
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    "importance": 9,
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    "first_published_at": "2026-09-28T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "modified_at": "2026-09-28T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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    "tags": [
      "JWST",
      "M82",
      "star clusters"
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  "sources": [
    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-09-28-013",
      "title": "arXiv preprint 2609.30373",
      "publisher": "arXiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.30373",
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      "published_at": "2026-09-24T14:00:02.000-04:00",
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    "title": "JWST Found Four Faint Star Clusters in M82's Halo",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-09-28T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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