A stunning new image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured a cosmic event that is leaving astronomers awestruck. The dramatic outflow from a newborn star, known as Herbig-Haro 49/50 (HH 49/50), perfectly aligns with a distant spiral galaxy, creating a mesmerizing celestial scene.
Herbig-Haro objects are glowing clouds of gas and dust shaped by newborn stars or protostars. They form when jets of charged particles, ejected from young stars at immense speeds, slam into surrounding material, creating brilliant patterns in the sky. The latest image reveals arcs of glowing gas that helped astronomers trace the path of a powerful jet back to its source – a protostar known as Cederblad 110 IRS4 (CED 110 IRS4).
This protostar is located just 1.5 light-years away and is still growing, pulling in material from its surrounding disk. As part of this process, some gas gets funneled along the protostar’s magnetic field lines and shot out as high-speed jets, creating Herbig-Haro objects.
The nickname “Cosmic Tornado” suits HH 49/50 due to its dramatic, swirling shape. The image shows glowing hydrogen and carbon monoxide molecules being heated and energized by the powerful jets from the nearby newborn star. While some arcs align perfectly with the direction of the jet, others don’t fit – sparking debate among scientists about the possible cause.
Astronomers believe that Webb’s detailed images may have captured two unassociated objects in a lucky alignment, which will eventually move outwards and appear to cover up the distant galaxy over thousands of years.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/james-webb-space-telescope/cosmic-tornado-swirls-in-breathtaking-new-james-webb-space-telescope-image