Cosmic whirlwind detected in high definition by Webb
Sparking amazement 630 light-years away, the Webb Space Telescope snapped photos of mind-boggling swirls of neon-orange cosmic gas known as Herbig Haro 49/50 (HH 49/50). This celestial spectacle took place approximately a million miles from terra firma, highlighting the extraordinary capabilities of this groundbreaking spacecraft.
HH 49/50 represents the spectacular brilliance of the Webb Space Telescope, showcasing a protostellar outflow originating from the telescope's vantage point in the cosmos. These outflows are born from a star's jets, which surge through surrounding matter, resulting in shockwaves throughout space. As the fiery gases cool, they emit light, making them visible in the ocean of darkness.
HH 49/50 was given the moniker "Cosmic Tornado" in 2006, when it was spotted by scientists employing NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The Webb Space Telescope offers superior resolution, offering scientists an intricate and detailed view of the outflow's elements. Furthermore, the object at the tip of the outflow, previously visualized by Spitzer as a blue smudge, is now plainly evident, enabling scientists to identify it as a winding spiral galaxy.
The Webb Space Telescope's image of HH 49/50 was captured using the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCAM) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), revealing the distribution of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and energized dust grains within the outflow. This data will ultimately aid scientists in modeling the jet's characteristics and understanding the impact it has on surrounding material.
Researchers postulate that a protostar named Cederblad 110 IRS4, located around 1.5 light-years from HH 49/50, could power the jets energizing the HH 49/50 material.
The distant spiral galaxy discovered at the tip of HH 49/50 exhibits a prominent central bulge, indicating a concentration of older stars. It also reveals subtle "side lobes," possibly suggesting that this could be a barred-spiral galaxy. Bars in spiral galaxies are known to play an essential role in the transportation of gas toward the galaxy's core, which can stimulate star formation.
Fiery red clumps nestled within the spiral arms indicate the presence of warm dust and active star-forming regions. These characteristics have been observed in other nearby galaxies. Remarkably, the galaxy is observable face-on, allowing an unobstructed view of its spiral structure and central bulge.
This groundbreaking observation, facilitated by the Webb Space Telescope's superior infrared imaging, provides invaluable insights into the structure and evolution of far-off galaxies, offering a unique perspective that can be contrasted with local star-forming regions like Herbig-Haro objects.
Other Herbig-Haro objects are noteworthy, like the enigmatic HH 46/47, resembling a question mark floating amid the abyss. HH 49/50 isn't even the Webb Space Telescope's first encounter with such objects; in 2023, the telescope captured the strikingly elongated jets of HH 211, roughly 1,000 light-years from Earth.
References:1. http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso0707/2. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2008ApJ...685L..49L/abstract3. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009MNRAS.396..165H/abstract4. https://arxiv.org/abs/1709.067455. https://astronomy.com/news/2022/11/james-webb-space-telescope-captures-it-all-in-first-stunning-images
- The Webb Space Telescope's exceptionally clear images of Herbig-Haro objects, such as the cosmic tornado, HH 49/50, showcase the technology's potential to revolutionize our understanding of space and the future of science.
- The display of HH 49/50, captured by the Webb Space Telescope, offers a glimpse into the cosmic future, where technology may uncover distant galaxies and the mysteries they hold.
- The identification of a winding spiral galaxy at the tip of HH 49/50 underscores the importance of advanced technology, like the Webb Space Telescope, in our quest to understand the intricacies of the universe.
- By examining the distribution of matter within Herbig-Haro objects, such as HH 49/50, scientists hope to use this data to better understand the impact of technology on the birth and growth of stars in the future.
