'Cosmic Tornado': NASA's James Webb Telescope captures newborn star’s light illuminating a distant galaxy
Produced by Tarun Mishra
Produced by Tarun Mishra
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured a rare cosmic alignment featuring a newborn star’s outflow, known as Herbig-Haro 49/50 (HH 49/50), alongside a distant spiral galaxy. This image provides new insights into star formation while revealing details of a background galaxy previously seen only as a faint blur.
HH 49/50 is a glowing jet of gas formed by a young star within the Chamaeleon I Cloud complex, about 625 light-years away. As the protostar pulls in surrounding gas, some of it is expelled at high speeds, creating shock waves that heat the gas. The cooling of this gas then emits light, forming the striking Herbig-Haro object.
The light emitted from HH 49/50 is caused by jets of charged particles launched from the growing star. These jets follow magnetic field lines and collide with surrounding dust and gas, shaping the visible structure. The star behind this outflow, Cederblad 110 IRS4, is a young Class I protostar still accumulating mass.
Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) have captured molecular hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and heated dust within HH 49/50. These elements appear as orange and red hues, offering a clearer understanding of the composition and motion of the outflow.
Scientists have identified arcs of glowing gas within HH 49/50, tracing back to the protostar. These arcs help map the movement of the jet and its interaction with surrounding material. A misaligned arc at the top of the image suggests a second outflow or a shift in the jet’s direction over time, a phenomenon known as precession.
At the tip of the HH 49/50 outflow, a spiral galaxy appears to be connected to the jet, though it is much farther away. This alignment is purely coincidental but provides an opportunity to study the structure of a barred spiral galaxy, revealing regions of star formation and past stellar activity.
The HH 49/50 outflow is expanding and moving across the sky at speeds between 100 and 300 kilometres per second. Webb’s observations offer valuable data on how jets shape their surroundings and how stars evolve. As future images refine our understanding, similar discoveries may help explain the early stages of star and planet formation.