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Credit & Copyright: D. Padgett (GSFC),
T. Megeath (University of Toledo),
B. Reipurth (University of Hawaii)
Explanation:
This might look like a double-bladed
lightsaber, but these two cosmic jets actually beam outward from
a
newborn star in a galaxy near you.
Constructed from Hubble Space Telescope image data, the stunning
scene spans about half a light-year across
Herbig-Haro 24 (HH 24), some 1,300 light-years or 400
parsecs
away in the stellar nurseries
of the Orion B molecular cloud complex.
Hidden from direct view, HH 24's central protostar is
surrounded by cold dust and gas flattened into a rotating
accretion disk.
As material from the disk falls toward the young stellar object it heats up.
Opposing jets are blasted out along the
system's rotation axis.
Cutting through the region's interstellar matter, the narrow,
energetic jets produce a series of glowing shock fronts
along their path.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Herbig-Haro object
Publications with words: Herbig-Haro object
See also: