NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning image of a protoplanetary disc around a newly formed star, revealing intricate details about stellar dust behavior. The telescope’s latest picture showcases its ability to capture high-resolution images of even the smallest cosmic events.
The image, known as HH 30, features an edge-on protoplanetary disc around a hidden star. Astronomers are eager to study this object to understand how stellar dust grains behave in such environments. The European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA co-managed the telescope’s observation of HH 30.
To create the image, the ESA and NASA teams used multiple colors to represent different wavelengths of light. The resulting picture reveals a strong glow emanating from the center of the disc, with fuchsia and blue jets shooting up and down from the disk. An outflow appears as a swoosh of blue from one side, resembling Sonic the Hedgehog’s tail.
Astronomers are fascinated by HH 30 because it provides valuable insights into stellar dust grain behavior. The tiny dust grains, about one millionth of a meter across – roughly the size of a single bacterium – migrate in the disc and settle into a thin layer. This layer is critical in planet formation as dust grains combine to form pebbles and eventually planets.
The James Webb Space Telescope has been the world’s premier space science observatory since its operations began in 2022, offering unparalleled opportunities for scientists to study our universe.
Source: https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/webb-space-telescope-stellar-dust-stars-universe