Caption

This visualization examines the three-dimensional structure of Herbig-Haro 49/50 (HH 49/50) as seen in near- and mid-infrared light by the James Webb Space Telescope.

HH 49/50 is an outflow produced by the jet of a nearby still-forming star in the Chamaeleon I Cloud complex, one of the nearest active star formation regions in our Milky Way. At a distance of 625 light-years from Earth, this new composite infrared image allows researchers to examine its details on small spatial scales like never before.

In this visualization Webb’s NIRCam and MIRI observations of HH 49/50 trace the location of glowing hydrogen molecules, carbon monoxide molecules, and energized grains of dust, represented in orange and red, as the protostellar jet slams into the region. There are multiple bow shocks along the outflow suggesting multiple periods of jet activity.

The video travels along the outflow away from the protostar and once we pass the tip of the outflow, the distant spiral galaxy remains in view. The apparent position of the spiral galaxy near the tip of the outflow is just a chance alignment. The spiral galaxy has a prominent central bulge represented in blue that shows the location of older stars. The bulge also shows hints of “side lobes” suggesting that this could be a barred spiral galaxy. Reddish clumps within the spiral arms show the locations of warm dust and groups of forming stars.

Examining this Herbig-Haro object in three dimensions helps us better understand how young stars forms and how their jet activity affects the environment around them.