The European Space Agency (ESA) often shares posts on Instagram that leave people stunned. Their latest share is no different, as it shows a phenomenon that reveals the secrets about how stars are born. Captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, the visuals will leave you surprised.
“In the Serpens Nebula, a young star-forming region, Webb’s captured a surprising discovery: jets of gas from newborn stars, all pointing in the same direction! Normally, these jets are chaotic, but here, they’re aligned like sleet in a storm,” ESA wrote.
In the following lines, the space agency wrote more about the significance of this discovery. “In the Webb image, these jets are identified by bright red clumpy streaks, which are shockwaves caused when the jet hits the surrounding gas and dust. Here, the red colour indicates the presence of molecular hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Webb can image these extremely young stars and their outflows, which were previously obstructed at optical wavelengths,” they added.
Take a look at the entire post here:
Shared a day ago, the post has accumulated close to 14,000 likes. Additionally, the share has prompted people to post various comments. A few reacted using heart emoticons.
What did Instagram users share about this ESA post?
Excitedly, one person wrote, “Universe is one huge endless canvas. This is art.” Another person expressed, “This is impressive.”
A third commented, “It’s like an abstract painting”. A fourth individual added, “It is so beautiful”.
According to its official website, “ESA does what individual European nations cannot do on their own. Scientists from European nations can function at world-class level in their specialist fields. Working in this way gives a framework for national programmes, and allows integration of the best of national approaches into one joint European approach.”
What are your thoughts on this series of visuals shared by ESA? Did the images leave you gasping in wonder?
Shambhu Kumar is a science communicator, making complex scientific topics accessible to all. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
