Some of the most powerful phenomena in the universe seem to arise from its smallest inhabitants.
The latest cosmic eye candy, delivered by the mighty NASA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is characterized by streams of stellar matter exploding from the poles of a very small object a star And launching through space at speeds exceeding the speed of sound.
These jets, together called Herbig-Haro 211 (HH 211), live in an active pocket of space located about 1,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation. Perseus. In this region, the protostar absorbs the surrounding gas and dust to grow larger, but at the same time throws material out into space in what astronomers call a dipole outflow. As those jets of material move through space, the James Webb Space Telescope becomes sharp Infrared The eye was able to capture its interactions with interstellar matter in the form of bright, colorful swirls.
The protostar (which is not shown in the Webb image) is suspected to be a binary star, and likely represents what our Sun was like when it was a few tens of thousands of years old with only 8% of its current mass. “It will eventually grow into a star like the sun,” JWST representatives wrote in a text message. statement Published Thursday (September 14).
Related: The James Webb Space Telescope deepens the great debate about the expansion rate of the universe
Researchers say HH 211 is one of the smallest and closest examples of a younger star spewing matter, so it’s an ideal object for the James Webb Space Telescope to observe. Unsurpassed in its infrared capabilities, this telescope is a game-changer for stellar astronomers because it allows them to see the thick blankets of gas and dust that surround very young stars. Gaining such access to shrouded stellar objects will eventually help scientists decipher the objects’ chemical composition and behavior.
By studying data about HH 211, collected by the Near-Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSpec) instrument aboard the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers realized that jets from young stars are much slower and richer in molecules such as carbon monoxide and silicon monoxide. And molecular hydrogen. This is compared to faster jets exploding from older stars. according to Recent study Outline of James Webb Space Telescope observations of HH 211, primarily because the shock waves surrounding the young star are not yet strong enough to tear the jet particles apart into individual pieces Atoms.
HH 211 belongs to a group of objects known to evolve rapidly, with gas eddies disappearing only a few years after their discovery and new ones appearing in seemingly empty regions of space.
“Typical beer advocate. Future teen idol. Unapologetic tv practitioner. Music trailblazer.”
More Stories
Boeing May Not Be Able to Operate Starliner Before Space Station Is Destroyed
How did black holes get so big and so fast? The answer lies in the darkness
UNC student to become youngest woman to cross space on Blue Origin