NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured the image of a stunning nebula far away from our Milky Way galaxy. The nebula, named N79, is 1630 light years away from our galaxy and is actively forming thousands of stars that remain virtually an unexplored territory by astronomers.&nbsp;

The interstellar cosmic space with yellow, orange and blue ribbons of light looks hypnotic and majestic.

Take a close look.

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It’s always darkest before the dawn. 
 
This image from the Webb telescope shows N79, a massive star-forming region. At mid-infrared wavelengths, Webb reveals glowing gas and dust deep within the clouds, as well as embedded baby stars: <a href="https://t.co/U3MQwO2kvK">https://t.co/U3MQwO2kvK</a> <a href="https://t.co/eAU7L08i2A">pic.twitter.com/eAU7L08i2A</a>
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAWebb/status/1749814253413109918?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
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N79 is said to be the younger sibling of the Tarantula Nebula, which was recently sighted by the JWST. Tarantula lies about 161,000 light years away from Earth. As per scientists, the N79 has been forming stars at twice the rate of the Tarantula Nebula which is officially named 30 Doradus.&nbsp;

<h2>Exploring ‘starburst’ patterns in young stellar bodies</h2>

The image of the new nebula captured by the JWST primarily focuses on three giant complexes of cold atomic gas called molecular clouds. Astronomers call this as N79 South or S1.&nbsp;

Inside the S1, the “starburst” pattern around the bright heart of N79 stands out, as seen in the image. This effect is created by diffraction spikes caused by the 18 pieces of JWST’s primary mirror as they collect light. These mirrors are arranged in a hexagonal pattern like a honeycomb, meaning there are six main diffraction spikes.&nbsp;

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These spikes arise when JWST studies particularly bright and compact objects that have light emerging from a concentrated location. So when the $10 billion telescope looks at galaxies at once, even the smaller ones appear to come out of more diffused and spread out, giving the illusion that a diffraction pattern is absent.

JWST captured the N79 image using its Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI), which captured the infrared light coming from the starburst as well. MIRI allows astronomers to look deep into the star-forming region.&nbsp;

This is why, with of help of MIRI, JWST is also able to see young stellar bodies that are still hidden in their natal womb of gas and dust. These are called ‘proto-stars’, which haven’t gathered material to fuse hydrogen to helium in their cores, which is the process of making a star.

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An infant star that has just started this hydrogen-to-helium process can be seen as the brightest point in the midst of orange clouds of gas and dust in the JWST N97 image.&nbsp;

Studying regions of intense star birth like N79 with the JWST allows scientists to learn about the composition of star-birthing clouds of gas and dust in the early universe when star formation was at its most intense.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured the image of a stunning nebula far away from our Milky Way galaxy. The nebula, named N79, is 1630 light years away from our galaxy and is actively forming thousands of stars that remain virtually an unexplored territory by astronomers.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured the image of a stunning nebula far away from our Milky Way galaxy. The nebula, named N79, is 1630 light years away from our galaxy and is actively forming thousands of stars that remain virtually an unexplored territory by astronomers. The interstellar cosmic space with yellow, orange and blue ribbons of light looks hypnotic and majestic. Take a close look. It’s always darkest before the dawn. This image from the Webb telescope shows N79, a massive star-forming region. At mid-infrared wavelengths, Webb reveals glowing gas and dust deep within the clouds, as well as embedded baby stars: https://t.co/U3MQwO2kvK pic.twitter.com/eAU7L08i2A — NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) January 23, 2024 × N79 is said to be the younger sibling of the Tarantula Nebula, which was recently sighted by the JWST. Tarantula lies about 161,000 light years away from Earth. As per scientists, the N79 has been forming stars at twice the rate of the Tarantula Nebula which is officially named 30 Doradus. Exploring ‘starburst’ patterns in young stellar bodies The image of the new nebula captured by the JWST primarily focuses on three giant complexes of cold atomic gas called molecular clouds. Astronomers call this as N79 South or S1. Inside the S1, the “starburst” pattern around the bright heart of N79 stands out, as seen in the image. This effect is created by diffraction spikes caused by the 18 pieces of JWST’s primary mirror as they collect light. These mirrors are arranged in a hexagonal pattern like a honeycomb, meaning there are six main diffraction spikes. Also Read | Major breakthrough: World’s first successful IVF could help save nearly extinct rhino species These spikes arise when JWST studies particularly bright and compact objects that have light emerging from a concentrated location. So when the $10 billion telescope looks at galaxies at once, even the smaller ones appear to come out of more diffused and spread out, giving the illusion that a diffraction pattern is absent. JWST captured the N79 image using its Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI), which captured the infrared light coming from the starburst as well. MIRI allows astronomers to look deep into the star-forming region. This is why, with of help of MIRI, JWST is also able to see young stellar bodies that are still hidden in their natal womb of gas and dust. These are called ‘proto-stars’, which haven’t gathered material to fuse hydrogen to helium in their cores, which is the process of making a star. Also Read | An 'unprecedented' pinpoint landing: Japan says its Moon landing was within 100 metres of target An infant star that has just started this hydrogen-to-helium process can be seen as the brightest point in the midst of orange clouds of gas and dust in the JWST N97 image. Studying regions of intense star birth like N79 with the JWST allows scientists to learn about the composition of star-birthing clouds of gas and dust in the early universe when star formation was at its most intense. (With inputs from agencies)

Stellar show! NASA's James Webb Telescope captures birth of new suns far away from Earth

Galaxies are not just a massive collection of stars. They are also stellar nurseries. New stars form and old die-out. However, the rate at which new stars are formed is not constant universally. Some galaxies form new stars at a greater rate while others are in a state of semi-retirement, that is, star formation is taking place at a much lower rate in these galaxies.

What is the reason behind these varying rates of star formation? What causes the rate of star formation to lower? These and some other questions have been in focus of space research for decades.&nbsp;

A study has pointed at the reason why star formation slows down in a galaxy. The answer is, supermassive black holes.

Supermassive black holes have mass millions or even billions of times of that of the Sun. Supermassive black holes are found at the centre of spiral galaxies. Their unimaginably strong gravitational force holds the entire galaxy together.

To find out what slows down star formation in a galaxy, researchers from the University of Cambridge used three state-of-the-art cosmological simulations -- EAGLE, Illustris and IllustrisTNG.&nbsp;

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The researchers applied a machine-learning algorithm and classified galaxies into two types, 'star-forming' and 'quiescent'

The new simulations predicted that mass of the supermassive black hole was most important factor slowing down star formation in a galaxy.

Galaxies are not just a massive collection of stars. They are also stellar nurseries. New stars form and old die-out. However, the rate at which new stars are formed is not constant universally.

Galaxies are not just a massive collection of stars. They are also stellar nurseries. New stars form and old die-out. However, the rate at which new stars are formed is not constant universally. Some galaxies form new stars at a greater rate while others are in a state of semi-retirement, that is, star formation is taking place at a much lower rate in these galaxies. What is the reason behind these varying rates of star formation? What causes the rate of star formation to lower? These and some other questions have been in focus of space research for decades. A study has pointed at the reason why star formation slows down in a galaxy. The answer is, supermassive black holes. Supermassive black holes have mass millions or even billions of times of that of the Sun. Supermassive black holes are found at the centre of spiral galaxies. Their unimaginably strong gravitational force holds the entire galaxy together. To find out what slows down star formation in a galaxy, researchers from the University of Cambridge used three state-of-the-art cosmological simulations -- EAGLE, Illustris and IllustrisTNG. Also Read | Decoding emotions: Scientists can now tell if a pig is happy or sad The researchers applied a machine-learning algorithm and classified galaxies into two types, 'star-forming' and 'quiescent' The new simulations predicted that mass of the supermassive black hole was most important factor slowing down star formation in a galaxy.

What slows down star-formation in a galaxy? This is the answer

Stars are a brilliant to look at. The specs of light adorning the black sky impart a sense of calm.

But the process of star formation is a violent one.

A mass of gas in a corner of space comes together. Dense clumps of this cloud coalesce due to processes known as local stellar wind. The gas is thus pushed together. When the density reaches a high enough point, clumps of gas collapse under their own gravity and form a spinning protostar. The material around the star forms a disc and gets attracted to the star due to its gravity therby increasing the gravity and carrying the process of star formation ahead.

At some point, the star begins to give out what is called solar wind and this in addition to several other processes limit the growth of the star and it starts on the path to become a full-fledged star!

NASA's Hubble space telescope has clicked an image of such a protostar. The protostar has been given a designation J1672835.29-763111.64

The region of space around this protostar is still dusty. That means the protistar is still in its infancy and matter is still being spooled into it making it bigger.&nbsp;

This protostar is roughly 400 to 600 light-years away.

Stars are a brilliant to look at. The specs of light adorning the black sky impart a sense of calm. But the process of star formation is a violent one. A mass of gas in a corner of space comes together.

Stars are a brilliant to look at. The specs of light adorning the black sky impart a sense of calm. But the process of star formation is a violent one. A mass of gas in a corner of space comes together. Dense clumps of this cloud coalesce due to processes known as local stellar wind. The gas is thus pushed together. When the density reaches a high enough point, clumps of gas collapse under their own gravity and form a spinning protostar. The material around the star forms a disc and gets attracted to the star due to its gravity therby increasing the gravity and carrying the process of star formation ahead. At some point, the star begins to give out what is called solar wind and this in addition to several other processes limit the growth of the star and it starts on the path to become a full-fledged star! NASA's Hubble space telescope has clicked an image of such a protostar. The protostar has been given a designation J1672835.29-763111.64 The region of space around this protostar is still dusty. That means the protistar is still in its infancy and matter is still being spooled into it making it bigger. This protostar is roughly 400 to 600 light-years away.

Hubble telescope captures violent process of star formation

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