Cosmic Tornado: A young star’s jet collides with space dust

When stars are born, they often release powerful jets that carve dramatic trails through space. The James Webb Space Telescope, a collaboration between NASA, ESA, and CSA, recently captured a stunning example.

In this image, a young star’s jet – known as Herbig-Haro 49/50 – appears alongside a perfectly aligned distant spiral galaxy. Together, they create a visual that appears both staged and surreal.

The power of Webb lies not only in what it sees but in how it sees. With advanced infrared vision, it unveils details that were once lost in cosmic fog. In this image, what looks like a tornado of glowing material winds through the darkness.

But this is not mere chaos – this is a structured flow of matter from a forming star. The scene is a fusion of science and art, and the alignment of two unrelated cosmic objects gives the image a unique depth.

How baby stars launch wild jets

Herbig-Haro objects form during the earliest stages of star formation. Young stars, still gathering mass, often shoot out narrow jets of gas. These jets crash into the surrounding material, heating it up. As the heated gas cools, it emits light that astronomers can detect in visible and infrared wavelengths.

HH 49/50, located about 630 light-years from Earth in the Chamaeleon constellation, is a classic example. This region is among the closest active star-forming areas in our galaxy.

​The James Webb Space Telescope utilized both its Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI)to produce a layered, high-resolution image. This composite allows scientists to examine small-scale details with unprecedented clarity.

This level of detail is vital for studying the birthplaces of stars like our Sun. These jets don’t just travel quietly – they plow through surrounding clouds, forming shock waves and reshaping the cosmic landscape.

A tornado in space

When NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope first observed HH 49/50 in 2006, scientists were intrigued by its spiral, storm-like shape.

They nicknamed it the “Cosmic Tornado” because of its swirling, helical appearance. However, Spitzer couldn’t resolve the fine structures clearly. A fuzzy patch at the tip of the outflow remained a mystery.

Now, Webb’s resolution changes everything. It reveals that the fuzzy patch is not a continuation of the jet, but a distant spiral galaxy. Its structure is crisp and distinct.

This unexpected discovery highlights the telescope’s ability to separate overlapping layers of cosmic material and isolate individual objects, even in complex environments.

The galaxy, seen face-on, lies far beyond HH 49/50. But the illusion of connection adds wonder. In the background, countless other galaxies fill the scene. Webb has, by chance, framed a dynamic, turbulent jet against a calm, elegant spiral structure.

A nursery for young stars

HH 49/50 resides within the Chamaeleon I Cloud complex. This region serves as a stellar nursery, busy with the birth of low-mass stars. It closely resembles the type of place where our own Sun likely formed.

The outflow from HH 49/50 is moving at blazing speeds – between 100 and 300 kilometers per second. Yet it’s only part of a larger network of outflows sculpting the cloud.

By examining the light from the object, scientists trace glowing hydrogen and carbon monoxide molecules, along with energized dust grains. These materials appear as brilliant orange and red streaks in the image. Their location and movement reveal how the outflow is reshaping its environment.

The Webb data also shows arcs that resemble the wake left by a speeding boat. These arc-shaped features help astronomers trace the flow’s direction and better understand its dynamics. Each curve and twist in the material tells a story of energy, motion, and cosmic change.

Chasing the source of the jet

To understand what powers such a dramatic outflow, astronomers look toward its possible source. Evidence points to a young protostar named Cederblad 110 IRS4, or CED 110 IRS4.

This object lies about 1.5 light-years away from HH 49/50, just off the edge of Webb’s main image. It’s considered a Class I protostar, meaning it’s still actively gathering mass and developing.

Class I protostars typically have surrounding disks of gas and dust. These disks slowly feed the growing star, and jets often emerge as a by-product of this process.

Webb’s instruments helped scientists examine CED 110 IRS4 in detail, revealing the icy material in its surroundings. This kind of analysis helps build a more complete picture of the early stages of stellar evolution.

While most arcs point back to this protostar, not all align perfectly. That discrepancy invites new questions and adds complexity to the scene.

Why is the star jet so messy?

Some features within HH 49/50 seem out of place. A distinct outcrop in the upper right corner of the image may hint at another outflow.

One possibility is that it belongs to a separate jet overlapping the main one. Another idea is that it results from the main jet’s shifting direction – a process called precession.

Jet precession can happen when the protostar wobbles or experiences changes in its environment. Over time, this causes the outflow to twist and shift, creating multiple arcs that point in slightly different directions. Alternatively, the feature might be caused by the jet breaking apart as it interacts with nearby clouds.

Such findings reveal the limits of current models and show that nature doesn’t always follow simple rules. Every new observation from Webb introduces new variables to consider.

A spiral galaxy in perfect position

The spiral galaxy near the tip of HH 49/50 seems almost too perfectly placed. It’s a coincidence of cosmic alignment.

The galaxy is not physically related to the outflow, but the visual juxtaposition creates a powerful image. Its face-on orientation displays a glowing central bulge, which appears blue. This region contains older stars.

The spiral arms stretch outward, peppered with reddish clumps of warm dust and active star formation. These features are not unique to this galaxy. Similar bubbles and dust pockets have been observed in other nearby galaxies using Webb, especially through the PHANGS program.

This comparison allows astronomers to draw parallels between our galactic neighborhood and more distant systems. And while the galaxy itself sits far beyond HH 49/50, its presence enriches the image with depth and contrast.

Distant galaxy meets a star jet

Webb’s image of HH 49/50 and the distant spiral galaxy captures a rare alignment.

Over thousands of years, the outflow will expand and eventually obscure the galaxy behind it. This brief window gives astronomers a unique perspective – one that won’t last forever.

The beauty of the cosmos lies in both motion and stillness. Webb, with its unmatched vision, freezes this cosmic dance in perfect clarity. The resulting image is not just science – it’s a moment of wonder. A look into a turbulent birthplace of stars framed against the silent rotation of a distant galaxy.

Image Credit: James Webb Space Telescope.

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