NASA's James Webb Space Telescope reveals stunning image of star-forming region
The $10 billion telescope launched in 2021 and is the most powerful observatory ever to operate in space. NASA believes James Webb Space Telescope will easily surpass its expected 10-year lifespan and will likely operate for decades.
What is the James Webb Space Telescope?
According to NASA, the JWST sees the universe using infrared radiation, a form of light that we feel as heat and is invisible to human eyes.
A stunning new image from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is providing unprecedented insights into the processes of star formation deep in the cosmos.
The region, known as Lynds 483, or L483 for short, lies approximately 650 light-years away from Earth, in the constellation Serpens.
At the heart of L483, astronomers have identified at least two protostars, which are still in their infant stages and not yet fully formed.
The new imagery captured by the Webb showed ejections of gas and dust that appear in vibrant hues of orange, blue and purple.
Space experts say the striking colors represent where collisions of matter are taking place, which led to the formation of molecules such as carbon monoxide, methanol and other organic compounds.
The compounds are often referred to by science as building blocks of planetary formations and help form what appears to be an hourglass-looking structure.
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NASA Webb image shows an actively forming star system. (NASA)
The stars are deeply encased in a dense layer of gas and dust, so much so that they are barely visible even through Webb's powerful lens.
Astronomers say over millions of years, the protostars will likely evolve, ultimately becoming features similar to our Sun.
The jets and outflows of gas and dust will gradually disperse, leaving behind material that may one day form planets - potentially creating an alignment similar to our own solar system.
It’s important to note that while L483 may already be well on its way to the transformation process, the image we are seeing is not a present snapshot.
Due to the immense distance in outer space, the light from the L483 region took 650 years to reach Earth.
This means that the cosmic events captured in the recent imagery actually occurred in the time period of Christopher Columbus, with centuries of light still en route.
Even though light is the fastest entity in the universe, the delay serves as a reminder of the vastness of the cosmos.
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NASA says the L483 region was named after famed American astronomer Beverly T. Lynds, who carefully cataloged giant clouds of gas and dust known as nebulas starting in the 1960s.
The $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope project is the most powerful observatory ever built and was only launched back in 2021.
NASA anticipates that the telescope will far exceed its expected 10-year lifespan and continue to revolutionize our understanding of outer space.
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