Two young protostars are responsible for the shimmering ejections of gas and dust that gleam in orange, blue, and purple in this color image of a portion of the dark cloud Lynds 483 from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.
Lynds 483 is located approximately 200 parsecs (652 light-years) away in the constellation of Serpens.
The object is named for the American astronomer Beverly T. Lynds, who published extensive catalogues of ‘dark’ and ‘bright’ nebulae in the early 1960s.
“Over tens of thousands of years, the central protostars have periodically ejected some of the gas and dust, spewing it out as tight, fast jets and slightly slower outflows that trip across space,” the Webb astronomers said in a statement.
“When more recent ejections hit older ones, the material can crumple and twirl based on the densities of what is colliding.”
“Over time, chemical reactions within these ejections and the surrounding cloud have produced a range of molecules, like carbon monoxide, methanol, and several other organic compounds.”
“The two protostars responsible for this scene are at the center of the hourglass shape, in an opaque horizontal disk of cold gas and dust that fits within a single pixel,” they added.
“Much farther out, above and below the flattened disk where dust is thinner, the bright light from the stars shines through the gas and dust, forming large semi-transparent orange cones.”
“It’s equally important to notice where the stars’ light is blocked — look for the exceptionally dark, wide V-shapes offset by 90 degrees from the orange cones.”
“These areas may look like there is no material, but it’s actually where the surrounding dust is the densest, and little starlight penetrates it.”
This new image was captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument.
“L483 is too large to fit in a single Webb snapshot, and this image was taken to fully capture the upper section and outflows, which is why the lower section is only partially shown,” the astronomers said.
“All the symmetries and asymmetries in these clouds may eventually be explained as researchers reconstruct the history of the stars’ ejections, in part by updating models to produce the same effects.”
“Astronomers will also eventually calculate how much material the stars have expelled, which molecules were created when material smashed together, and how dense each area is.”
“Millions of years from now, when the stars are finished forming, they may each be about the mass of our Sun.”
“Their outflows will have cleared the area — sweeping away these semi-transparent ejections.”
“All that may remain is a tiny disk of gas and dust where planets may eventually form.”
