The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a high-definition image of a “cosmic tornado” called Herbig-Haro 49/50 (HH 49/50), answering a question that’s plagued astronomers since the celestial phenomenon was first spotted 20 years ago.

‘Cosmic Tornado’ Captured

James Webb Space Telescope observes HH 49:50; Photo: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
James Webb Space Telescope observes HH 49:50; Photo: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Located approximately 625 light-years from Earth in the Chamaeleon constellation, HH 49/50 was given the nickname “cosmic tornado” due to its distinct funnel shape. Though these space objects aren’t rare, they only occur under a specific set of conditions related to a star’s early phases.

The early life of a star, when it’s known as a protostar, involves immense amounts of energy both needed and generated, including the creation of Herbig-Haro objects. These objects are formed after high-energy jets streak across multiple light-years and collide with sections of denser material, resulting in shock waves that heat and cool through the emission of light at infrared and visible wavelengths.

“The arc-shaped features in HH 49/50, similar to a water wake created by a speeding boat, point back to the source of this outflow,” NASA explained in its announcement. “Based on past observations, scientists suspect that a protostar known as Cederblad 110 IRS4 is a plausible driver of the jet activity.”

The recently released image was created by combining images taken by the space telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). The swirling jets are speeding away from Earth at approximately 60 to 190 miles per hour and are comprised of carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and energized cosmic dustmotes.

When HH 49/50 was first spotted in 2006, astronomers noticed a small, bright spot at the structure’s upper tip. The identity of the spot has since remained a mystery to experts, but the new image revealed that the spot is a spiral galaxy located against a “sea of distant background galaxies.”

According to NASA, a closer look at the cosmic tornado showed a blue “prominent central bulge,” while the red regions inside the spiral arms show the galaxy’s own clouds of gas and protostars. This is a phenomenon that can only be seen for a short time because, given HH 49/50’s jetstream speeds, experts predict that the energy plumes will likely obscure the spiral galaxy within a few thousand years.