A celestial body's jet, exceeding 8 light-years in length, found on the outskirts of our galaxy, holds potential to resolve a significant scientific argument.
A Stellar Announcement to the Universe: A Gigantic Gas Stream Discovered
In an exciting revelation, astronomers have uncovered a rare and powerful jet erupting from a massive star located in the cosmic cloud known as Sharpless2-284, on the edge of the Milky Way. This star, approximately 10 times the mass of our Sun, is still growing and has been powering the outflow, as implied by new theoretical core accretion models fit to the data.
The jet, stretching over 8 light-years, is a double-lobed outflow that can be seen shooting in opposite directions in the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) image. Over the past 100,000 years, the tips of the jet have been propagating out at hundreds of thousands of miles per hour.
The discovery offers valuable insights into the formation mechanism of massive stars in low metallicity environments. The cosmic cloud where the star is located, Sh2-284, is deficient in heavier elements beyond hydrogen and helium, making it a pristine target for studying early Universe star formation.
The tips of the jet provide insights into the star's formation history. The outflow from the star is nearly 180 degrees apart on opposite sides, validating a prediction of the core accretion theory. The jet's filamentary structure is captured by the Webb Telescope in infrared, showing the jet smashing into interstellar dust and gas.
The discovery could help astronomers settle the cosmic debate around star formation by supporting the core accretion theory over the chaotic 'competitive accretion' model. The detection of this jet provides evidence that protostellar jets scale up with the mass of the star powering them.
While the researcher responsible for studying the massive star that produces the gigantic gas stream captured by the JWST is not explicitly named in the provided search results, a notable scientist related to recent JWST observations and interstellar objects is Professor Avi Loeb, who is known for studying unusual cosmic phenomena detected by the telescope.
Astronomers describe jets like this as a star's 'birth announcement' to the Universe. This stellar announcement, captured by the JWST, is a testament to the ongoing exploration and understanding of the Universe's mysteries.
Read also:
- Indian Oil Corporation's Panipat Refinery secures India's inaugural ISCC CORSIA accreditation for Sustainable Aviation Fuel production
- Increasing Trend Downthe Globe: A Growing Number of Individuals Opt for Electric Vehicles Over Long Distances
- China is, unlike the United States, embracing technological progress rather than attempting to restrict it.
- Collaboration announced between Ather Energy and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) for the enhancement of electric vehicle (EV) production and the advancement of the clean mobility environment.
