The telescope captured an image of the Serpens Nebula, roughly 1,300 light-years away. Within the image, astronomers were able to observe something they had long theorized about, but never directly witnessed: aligned protostellar outflows.
These outflows are jets of gas blasting out of young stars. While astronomers have seen these outflows before, they've never witnessed them all aligned in the same direction, which is what the James Webb image revealed. NASA compares this alignment to "sleet pouring down during a storm."
This alignment is significant because it provides strong evidence for a long-held theory about star formation. Astronomers have believed that as giant clouds of gas collapse to form stars, the stars themselves will tend to spin in the same direction. The James Webb image provides visual confirmation for this theory.
Here's a breakdown of the discovery:
- The Target: The Serpens Nebula, roughly 1,300 light-years away.
- The Phenomenon: Jets of gas, called protostellar outflows, erupting from young stars in the nebula. These jets are usually observed, but what makes this special is their alignment.
- The New Aspect: The Webb telescope captured these outflows all slanted in the same direction, resembling "sleet pouring down during a storm" according to NASA. This alignment has never been directly observed before.
Why is this important? It strengthens a long-held theory about star formation. Astronomers have believed that as giant clouds of gas collapse to form stars, the stars themselves would spin in the same direction. This alignment of the outflows provides strong evidence for that theory.