'James Webb caught it all': A star’s high-speed jets aligned perfectly with a galaxy
Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
A Cosmic Coincidence
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) captured an incredible image where a star’s outflow aligns perfectly with a distant galaxy.
The Cosmic Tornado
Herbig-Haro 49/50 (HH 49/50), shaped by high-speed jets from a newborn star, has been nicknamed the "Cosmic Tornado" due to its swirling structure.
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, NASA-JPL, SSC
Star Birth in Action
Located in the Chamaeleon I Cloud complex, one of the closest stellar nurseries, HH 49/50 offers a rare glimpse into star formation.
Fast and Furious Jets
Gas jets from the young star CED 110 IRS4 shoot out at 100–300 km/s, slamming into surrounding clouds and creating brilliant shock waves.
From Blurry to Brilliant
The Spitzer Space Telescope first spotted HH 49/50 in 2006, but only JWST’s advanced imaging revealed the intricate arcs of glowing gas.
An Unexpected Galaxy
JWST’s instruments resolved a "fuzzy" object at the tip of HH 49/50, revealing it to be a distant spiral galaxy perfectly aligned in the background.
A Puzzle in the Sky
Some arcs of gas don’t match the main jet’s direction—scientists believe it could be a second outflow, jet instability, or the star’s wobbly motion over time.
Glowing Chemistry
JWST detected heated hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and dust grains, showcasing the violent and beautiful interactions shaping the star's surroundings.
A Changing Cosmic View
Over the next thousands of years, HH 49/50’s outer edges will expand, eventually hiding the distant galaxy from view.