The Webb Space Telescope has captured a vivid image of ethereal waves of bright orange gas in space, located approximately 630 light-years from our planet.

This stunning visual showcases the full capabilities of the Webb Space Telescope, as it reveals the protostellar outflow known as Herbig Haro 49/50 (HH 49/50) in remarkable detail, observed from its vantage point in space about one million miles from Earth.

Herbig-Haro objects are essentially outflows of material generated by the jets of a star. As these large outflows move through surrounding material, they create shock waves in space that heat up the material. As the material cools down, it emits light, making objects like the glowing orange outflow visible.

HH 49/50 was nicknamed the Cosmic Tornado in 2006 when it was first discovered by scientists using the Spitzer Space Telescope. The Webb Space Telescope has a higher resolution than Spitzer, providing scientists with a more detailed view of the outflow’s features. Moreover, the object at the tip of the outflow, which appeared as a blue splotch in Spitzer’s image, is now clearly visible and has been identified as a spiral galaxy.

The image of HH 49/50 captured by Webb utilized the telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCAM) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to reveal the distribution of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and energized dust grains within the outflow. The data collected will eventually aid scientists in modeling the properties of the jet and its impact on the surrounding material.

According to scientists, a protostar called Cederblad 110 IRS4, located approximately 1.5 light-years from HH 49/50, may be driving the jets that energize the material in the object.

The galaxy visible at the tip of HH 49/50 is much more distant. Although HH 49/50 will eventually appear to overlap with the galaxy, this overlap is expected to take thousands of years, as stated in an ESA release.

Other notable Herbig-Haro objects include HH 46/47, which bears a striking resemblance to a question mark floating in space. This is not the Webb Space Telescope’s first encounter with Herbig-Haro objects; in 2023, it captured the elongated jets of HH 211, located approximately 1,000 light-years from Earth.