Webb Captures a Stunning Infrared Image of Actively Developing Stars

 

A tightly connected pair of dynamically developing stars known as Herbig-Haro 46/47 has been photographed by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in high-resolution near-infrared light. Look for them as an orange-white blotch in the center of the red diffraction spikes. Given that Herbig-Haro 46/47 is a relatively recent artifact—only a few thousand years old—it is crucial to investigate it. It takes millions of years for star systems to fully form. Targets like this help scientists understand how much mass stars accumulate over time, which may enable them to predict how our own Sun, a low-mass star, and its planetary system originated.

Image credit: NASA, ESA, and CSA. 

Image processing: STScI's Joseph DePasquale

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Starlets in their youth are boisterous!

High-resolution near-infrared images taken by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope show the "antics" of a pair of newborn stars known as Herbig-Haro 46/47 that are rapidly developing. Follow the vivid pink and red diffraction spikes until you reach the center to locate them: The orange-white blotch contains the stars. They are firmly embedded in a disk of gas and dust, which nourishes their growth as they continue to swell in size. The two dark, conical zones encircling the center stars can be seen, but the disk itself is not visible.

The two-sided lobes that extend out from the actively growing center stars, depicted in bright orange, are the most striking characteristics. Much of this material was ejected from those stars as they ingested and ejected the gas and dust that surrounded them over thousands of years.

When material from more recent ejections collides with older material, the geometry of these lobes changes. This activity is analogous to a giant fountain being turned on and off in quick but random succession, resulting in billowing patterns in the pool beneath it. Some jets fire more material, while others go off faster. Why? It's most likely related to how much material dropped upon the stars at a certain moment.

Recent ejections from the stars appear in a thread-like blue. They run right below the 2 o'clock red horizontal diffraction spike. These ejections create more distinct wavy patterns on the right side. They link at points and culminate in a spectacular irregular light purple circle in the thickest orange section. Lighter blue curly lines appear on the left, towards the central stars, but are occasionally obscured by the intense red diffraction spike.

 All of these jets are necessary for star formation. Ejections control how much mass the stars eventually accumulate. (The disk of gas and dust that feeds the stars is quite tiny. Consider a band tightly wrapped around the stars.)

         Turn your attention to the second most noticeable feature: the sparkling blue cloud. This is a dense dust and gas region known as a nebula and, more technically, a Bok globule. It appears almost entirely black when viewed primarily in visible light, with only a few background stars peeking through. We can see into and through the gauzy layers of this cloud in Webb's sharp near-infrared image, bringing a lot more of Herbig-Haro 46/47 into focus while also revealing a vast range of stars and galaxies that lie well beyond it. The nebula's margins are outlined in a faint orange tint, resembling a backward L on the right and bottom.\

  This nebula is interesting because it affects the shapes of the jets emitted by the core stars. As expelled material slams into the nebula on the lower left, the jets have more opportunities to interact with molecules within the nebula, causing both to light up.

       There are two more areas to consider when comparing the asymmetry of the two lobes. Look to the upper right for a blobby, almost sponge-shaped ejecta that looks to be separate from the main lobe. Only a few threads of semi-transparent material wisps point toward the broader lobe. Tentacle-like forms, almost transparent, appear to be drifting behind it, like streamers in a cosmic breeze. In contrast, look past the substantial lobe at lower left to find an arc. Both are composed of material that has been pushed the furthest and potentially by previous ejections. The arcs appear to be pointing in different directions and could have formed by various outflows.

        Take a closer look at this photograph. Despite the fact that Webb appears to have snapped Herbig-Haro 46/47 edge-on, one half is oriented somewhat closer to Earth. Contrary to popular belief, it is the smaller right half. Despite the fact that the left side is larger and brighter, it is pointed away from us.

           The stars in Herbig-Haro 46/47 will fully form over millions of years, clearing the scene of these magnificent, multihued ejections and letting the binary stars to take center stage against a galaxy-filled sky.

There are two reasons why Webb may give so much detail in Herbig-Haro 46/47. The object is relatively close to Earth, and Webb's image is composed of multiple exposures, adding to its depth.

In the Vela Constellation, Herbig-Haro 46/47 is only 1,470 light-years away.

          The James Webb Space Telescope is the world's leading observatory for space science. Webb is investigating mysteries in our solar system, as well as distant worlds orbiting other stars, and delving into the unfathomable architecture and beginnings of our universe and our place in it. Webb is a NASA-led international effort with partners ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.

Media Representatives:

Laura Betz

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Claire Blome / Christine Pulliam

Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.

cblome@stsci.edu / cpulliam@stsci.edu

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