Current:Home > MarketsWebb telescope captures outskirts of Milky Way in 'unprecedented' detail: See photo-VaTradeCoin
Webb telescope captures outskirts of Milky Way in 'unprecedented' detail: See photo
lotradecoin token listing requirements View Date:2024-12-25 23:03:54
- The stunning image that Webb produced shows newly formed stars in the outer galaxy emitting jets of material in all directions, set against a backdrop of a sea of galaxies and red clouds of gas.
- Webb's imagery has enabled scientists to better study star formation in the outer Milky Way.
The James Webb Space Telescope has spent three years observing remote galaxies, black holes and distant planets, but its latest discovery was a little bit closer to home.
A team of NASA astronomers recently pointed the spacefaring telescope toward the outskirts of our own Milky Way galaxy to get a glimpse of some dense cosmic clouds home to star clusters undergoing star formation.
The region that attracted the researchers' attention is one referred to as "the extreme outer galaxy" – and that's not an exaggeration. While Earth is located about 26,000 light-years from what's known as the galactic center, the outer portions of the Milky Way are even further, at about 58,000 light-years from our galaxy's central region.
The stunning image that Webb produced shows newly-formed stars in the outer galaxy emitting jets of material in all directions, set against a backdrop of a sea of galaxies and red clouds of gas.
Shown in unprecedented resolution, Webb's imagery has enabled scientists to better study star formation in the outer Milky Way, astronomer Natsuko Izumi, who led a study with the latest findings, said in a statement.
"We can get very powerful and impressive images of these clouds with Webb," said Izumi, an astronomer at Gifu University and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. "I did not expect to see such active star formation and spectacular jets.”
James Webb image shows protostars, jets
The researchers used Webb’s state-of-the-art Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument(MIRI) to image select regions within two molecular clouds.
The resulting visual, compiled from those sections of the outer galaxy, depict young protostars, which are so early in their stellar evolution that they are still gathering mass from parent molecular clouds. Also visible in the image are outflows of superheated gas called "plasma," as well as nebular structures.
“What was fascinating and astounding to me from the Webb data is that there are multiple jets shooting out in all different directions from this cluster of stars," said scientist Mike Ressler of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, who led observations. "It’s a little bit like a firecracker, where you see things shooting this way and that."
Researchers hope to study 'extreme outer galaxy' more
Star formation is a complex process that has long held a degree of mystery for astronomers.
While Webb's latest data provides more context to help astronomers piece together some answers, the imagery only "skims the surface," the researchers said. The researchers said they intend to further study the extreme outer galaxy for more clues to explain, for instance, why stars of various sizes are found in relative abundance in the region's star clusters.
“I’m interested in continuing to study how star formation is occurring in these regions," Izumi said. "By combining data from different observatories and telescopes, we can examine each stage in the evolution process."
The team's research was published in August in the Astronomical Journal.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]
veryGood! (962)
Related
- See Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon's Twins Monroe and Moroccan Gift Her Flowers Onstage
- Christina Hall Jokes About Finding a 4th Ex-Husband Amid Josh Hall Divorce
- Wall Street rallies to its best day since 2022 on encouraging unemployment data; S&P 500 jumps 2.3%
- Deputies shoot and kill man in southwest Georgia after they say he fired at them
- See Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon's Twins Monroe and Moroccan Gift Her Flowers Onstage
- Morocco topples Egypt 6-0 to win Olympic men’s soccer bronze medal
- Second person with spinal cord injury gets Neuralink brain chip and it's working, Musk says
- US men’s basketball team rallies to beat Serbia in Paris Olympics, will face France for gold medal
- Shanghai bear cub Junjun becomes breakout star
- Fire destroys landmark paper company factory in southwestern Ohio
Ranking
- Beyoncé will perform halftime during NFL Christmas Day Game: Here's what to know
- 2024 Olympics: Swimmers Are Fighting Off Bacteria From Seine River by Drinking Coca-Cola
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword, Get Moving! (Freestyle)
- North Carolina man wins $1.1M on lottery before his birthday; he plans to buy wife a house
- The Voice Season 26 Crowns a New Winner
- Homeowners race to refinance as mortgage rates retreat from 23-year highs
- Eurasian eagle-owl eaten by tiger at Minnesota Zoo after escaping handler: Reports
- USA basketball pulls off furious comeback to beat Serbia: Olympics highlights
Recommendation
-
Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
-
Watch these fabulous feline stories on International Cat Day
-
Love Is the Big Winner in Paris: All the Athletes Who Got Engaged During the 2024 Olympics
-
Second person with spinal cord injury gets Neuralink brain chip and it's working, Musk says
-
Gen Z is 'doom spending' its way through the holidays. What does that mean?
-
Oregon city at heart of Supreme Court homelessness ruling votes to ban camping except in some areas
-
Americans tested by 10K swim in the Seine. 'Hardest thing I've ever done'
-
The Ultimate Guide to Microcurrent Therapy for Skin: Benefits and How It Works (We Asked an Expert)