Into the depths of creation: James Webb Space telescope's new image shows spectacular birth of a star
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Roughly 1,300 light-years away from Earth, this object is a remarkable example of a developing star regulating its own birth through the propulsion of gases
If we could turn back time to 4.6 billion years ago and capture the birth of our Sun on camera, we might find a similar scene to the stunning new image obtained by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
The image shows a star being born, that as per a report by The Guardian is estimated to be no more than 50,000 years old.
What the image shows
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The image is of HH212, and at the centre of this object is a young star coming into existence.
As per the report, you can't see the glow from the protostar itself because it is hidden within a sense, spinning disk of gas and dust. Instead, we see pinky-red jets, which can be seen being emitted dramatically in polar opposite directions.
What is HH212?
HH212, positioned in the Orion constellation, is situated near the three bright stars constituting the "belt" of the mythical hunter 'Orion'.
Roughly 1,300 light-years away from Earth, this object is a remarkable example of a developing star regulating its own birth through the propulsion of gases.
Talking to the BBC, European Space Agency senior scientific adviser Professor Mark McCaughrean explained, "As the blobby ball of gas at the centre compacts down, it rotates. But if it rotates too fast, it will fly apart, so something has to get rid of the angular momentum."
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"We think it's jets and outflows. We think that as all the material shrinks down, magnetic fields are pulled together and then some of the material coming in through the disc gets captured in magnetic fields and is thrown out through the poles. That's why we call these structures bi-polar," he added.
The pinky-red hues indicate the presence of molecular hydrogen, while shockwaves course through the outflows, giving them their radiant glow — visible in the picture — at an infrared wavelength of 2.12 microns.
JWST's Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) captured this striking image. Astronomers have been observing HH212 for decades, but the precision of the Webb telescope's view is ten times superior to any previous observation, offering an unprecedented opportunity to understand the intricate processes of star formation.
(With inputs from agencies)
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