James Webb Space Telescope Feed Post

Webb investigates a dusty and dynamic disc

Dust in the (stellar) wind This new Webb image shows an edge-on protoplanetary disc around a newly formed star, surrounded by jets and a disc wind, in unprecedented detail. This is a Herbig-Haro object, known for having luminous regions that surround protostars. They form when stellar winds or jets of gas that spew from the stars collide with nearby gas and dust at high speeds, forming shockwaves. Read more: esawebb.org/images/potm2501a/ Seeing an object like this edge-on allows astronomers to study how dust grains move within the star’s protoplanetary disc. When there is a narrow, dense layer of dust forming within the disc, it could indicate an important stage in the process of planet formation. In that dense region, the dust grains clump together to form pebbles, and eventually planets. Emerging at a 90-degree angle from the narrow central disc is a high-velocity jet of gas. The narrow jet is surrounded by a wider, cone-shaped outflow. Enclosing the conical outflow is a wide nebula that reflects the light from the young star that is embedded within the disc. Together, these data reveal HH 30 to be a dynamic place, where tiny dust grains and massive jets alike play a role in the formation of new planets. Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, Tazaki et al. Image Description: A close-in image of a protoplanetary disc around a newly formed star. Many different wavelengths of light are combined and represented by separate and various colors. A dark line across the center is the disc, made of opaque dust: the star is hidden in here and creates a strong glow in the center. A band going straight up is a jet, while other outflows form flares above and below the disc, and a tail coming off to one side. Image & Description by NASA