New images from the James Webb Space Telescope, released Monday, captured the most detailed and sharp images ever taken of the Orion Nebula. “We are amazed by the exciting images of the Orion Nebula. We started this project in 2017, so we waited more than five years to get this data,” said Els Peeters, an astrophysicist at Western University who helped with the observations. in a press release. “These new observations allow us to better understand how massive stars transform the cloud of gas and dust in which they are born,” added Peeters. The new images were released early and will now be studied by an international collaboration of more than 100 scientists in 18 countries as part of a project known as PDRs4All. The Orion Nebula is a vast star-forming region 1,350 light-years from Earth, making it the closest stellar nursery to us. Dense clouds of cosmic dust in the nebula obscure star-forming structures from visible-light-based instruments such as the Hubble Space Telescope. By collecting infrared light, Webb is able to peer through these layers of dust, giving astronomers unprecedented views of the nebula’s various elements. Below, take a look at the structures Webb revealed that were previously shrouded in dust. The Hubble image, left, and the Webb image, right, of the Orion Nebula. NASA, ESA, Massimo Robberto (STScI, ESA), Hubble Orion Space Telescope Project Team NASA, ESA, CSA, Data Reduction and Analysis : PDRs4All ERS Team; graphic editing S. Fuenmayor Astronomers believe that nebulae are clouds dominated by huge, tangled, filament-like structures, called filaments, that feed material such as gas to form and fuel stars. Webb’s images reveal these gaseous filaments in great detail. “We clearly see many dense filaments. These filamentary structures may be giving rise to a new generation of stars in the deeper regions of the dust and gas cloud,” said Olivier Berné, a researcher at France’s National Center for Scientific Research, who participated in the observations. , he said in a press release. Still, the exact role of filaments in star formation remains unclear. The researchers hope the new observations will help them uncover details about how they favor the birth and development of baby stars. At left, Hubble’s image of the Orion Nebula sky is obscured by dust. At right, the Webb image cuts through the dust, revealing a young star with a disk inside its cocoon of gas. NASA, ESA, Massimo Robberto (STScI, ESA), Hubble Orion Space Telescope Project Team NASA, ESA, CSA, Data Reduction and Analysis : PDRs4All ERS Team; graphic editing S. Fuenmayor Young, newly forming stars nestle in dense cocoons of cold gas and dust, which are difficult to see in visible light. Webb, however, is so sensitive to infrared light that he could detect the heat of a bee on Earth from as far away as the moon. In the new images, Webb was able to capture a star forming inside a cocoon of gas, which is not visible in Hubble images of the nebula. “We hope to gain an understanding of the entire cycle of star birth,” Edwin Bergin, a University of Michigan professor who was part of the research team, said in a press release. “In this image we’re looking at this cycle where the first generation of stars essentially radiates material for the next generation. The incredible structures we observe will detail how the feedback cycle of star birth occurs in our galaxy and beyond,” said Bergin. The Hubble image, left, and the Webb image, right, show the Table Cluster just beyond the Orion Nebula. NASA, ESA, CSA, PDRs4All ERS Team. image editing Salomé Fuenmayor The Orion Nebula is home to a huge group of stars called the Table Cluster. This group of young stars emits intense ultraviolet radiation, shaping the surrounding cloud of dust and gas. While Hubble is able to capture the effects of radiation in visible and ultraviolet light, Webb’s infrared image shows a sharper view of how the cluster’s intense starlight and radiation blasts the nearby region, leaving behind a cavity on the right. To the left, clouds remain far enough away to escape the strongest radiation. “We have never been able to see the intricate details of how interstellar matter is structured in these environments and understand how planetary systems can form in the presence of this harsh radiation,” said Emilie Habart, associate professor at the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale in France, he said in a press release. The Orion Nebula is similar to the environment in which our solar system was born, Habart added, so studying it could be key to understanding our solar system.
