NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has successfully taken high-resolution near-infrared images of Herbig-Haro 46/47, a closely linked pair of stars currently in their formation stage.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has managed to capture the energetic dynamics of a duo of nascent stars, Herbig-Haro 46/47, by utilizing high-resolution near-infrared light.

These newly forming stars are concealed within a seemingly effervescent splotch of orange and white, which can be found at the center of the image, surrounded by bright diffraction spikes of red and pink hues. Their growth is nurtured by a disk of dust and gas, although invisible, its presence casts a shadow visible in the image as two dark, cone-shaped regions around the stars.

The imagery captured reveals fascinating details, including two-sided lobes radiating from the central stars, depicted in a striking shade of orange. When newer ejected matter encounters older material, it alters the shape of the lobes. The activity can be compared to a large fountain being sporadically switched on and off, causing undulating patterns beneath it. Some jets displace more material, and some fire at higher velocities. This might be due to the amount of material the stars had accumulated at any given time.

The more recent expulsions are seen as thin blue lines, just beneath the red horizontal diffraction spike at 2 o’clock. Along the right side, these expulsions create clearer wave-like patterns. These threads sometimes appear disconnected and conclude in an uneven light purple loop within the densest orange region. Light blue, spiral lines also arise on the left, near the core stars, but are often eclipsed by the vibrant red diffraction spike.

These ejections play a crucial role in star formation, regulating the total mass accumulated by the stars. The feeding disk of dust and gas around the stars is small, akin to a tight band surrounding the stars.

Shifting your focus to the second most notable feature, the shimmering blue cloud. This area, dense with dust and gas, is referred to as a nebula or more scientifically, a Bok globule. In visible light, it seems almost entirely dark – with just a few background stars visible as seen with ESO’s New Technology Telescope(image below).

But Webb’s sharp near-infrared image allows us to see through the nebula’s thin layers, providing a clearer view of Herbig-Haro 46/47, and revealing a vast array of stars and galaxies lying far behind it. The nebula’s perimeters appear as a gentle orange boundary, tracing a reversed ‘L’ along the right and bottom.

The nebula’s influence is profound – it moulds the shapes of the jets ejected by the core stars. When the expelled matter collides with the nebula on the lower left, it creates opportunities for the jets to interact with molecules within the nebula, making them glow.

There are two other regions to observe to understand the asymmetry of the lobes. Look towards the upper right to spot a spongy, almost blob-like ejection that seems separate from the larger lobe. Only a few streaks of semi-transparent tendrils of material extend towards the larger lobe. Almost clear, tentacle-like forms seem to be floating behind it, like streamers in a celestial wind. In contrast, at the lower left, beyond the robust lobe, an arc can be found. Both consist of matter that was propelled the furthest, possibly by earlier expulsions. The arcs seem to be oriented in different directions, suggesting they may have originated from distinct outflows.

A closer look at the image suggests that one side of Herbig-Haro 46/47 is slightly nearer to Earth, intriguingly, it’s the smaller right half. Despite the left side appearing larger and brighter, it’s actually pointed away from us.

Over the course of millions of years, the stars in Herbig-Haro 46/47 will ultimately reach their fully-formed state, rendering these spectacular, multi-colored ejections obsolete and setting the stage for the binary stars against a backdrop filled with galaxies.

The exceptional detail in Herbig-Haro 46/47 captured by the Webb telescope owes its clarity to two key reasons: the object’s relative proximity to Earth, and the compilation of several exposures to enhance its depth.

Located a mere 1,470 light-years away, nestled within the Vela Constellation, Herbig-Haro 46/47 continues to mesmerize us with its celestial spectacle.

Image Credit: NASA and ESO