Webb telescope captures stunningly detailed image of actively forming stars
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The James Webb Space Telescope has offered an unprecedented glimpse into the depths of space, showcasing the two young stars in the midst of active formation.
This tightly bound pair of stars lies roughly 1,470 light-years away in the direction of the Vela Constellation.
Webb's sharp infrared capabilities enabled it to capture this high-resolution image through a series of multiple exposures. Originally captured in black-and-white, the image underwent color enhancement to facilitate scientific analysis and accessibility.
What does the image depict?
The presence of an orange-white blotch with red diffraction at the center signifies the presence of a turbulent duo of youthful stars, which is referred to as Herbig-Haro 46/47. These stars are merely a few thousand years old, and their complete maturation will span millions of years.
As per the NASA release, scientists are keen to image star growth in order to have a better understanding of how some stars gain so much mass. The derived information may enable them to model the growth process of the Sun.
The young stars are encircled by a dense disk comprising gas and dust. These stars are actively consuming the surrounding material to stimulate their growth.
“The disk is not visible, but its shadow can be seen in the two dark, conical regions surrounding the central stars,” stated NASA.
Another stunning feature of the image is the presence of two-sided lobes extending outward from the center of the actively forming stars. The image depicts this characteristic in a blazing orange hue. The lobes are inferred to be composed of stellar material emitted by the two central stars.
During this stage of star formation, the objects undergo a process of ingesting and ejecting stellar material repeatedly. As a result, some of the material escapes into the surrounding environment, giving rise to distinctive lobe-like patterns.
“This activity is like a large fountain being turned on and off in rapid, but random succession, leading to billowing patterns in the pool below it,” describes NASA.
Once the young stars have fully formed, these ejected lobes will eventually disappear.
Other notable features
Furthermore, the blue strings attention to the most recent ejections from Herbig-Haro 46/47s. These are located at the 2 o'clock position, just below the red horizontal diffraction spike.
The jets are critical to star formation because ejections control how much mass the stars can eventually retain.
Another beautiful feature can be seen in the image: a nebula, which is shown as an effervescent blue cloud. This vast cloud of dust and gas often obscures information about its internal processes; but, Webb's advanced capabilities allowed it to peer inside, revealing the otherwise concealed Herbig-Haro 46/47.
“This nebula is significant – its presence influences the shapes of the jets shot out by the central stars. As ejected material rams into the nebula on the lower left, there is more opportunity for the jets to interact with molecules within the nebula, causing them both to light up,” explained NASA.
In the backdrop, the fascinating Webb image showcases innumerable stars and galaxies dispersed over the pitch-dark universe.
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