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Stunning Head-On View of Two Planet Nursery Captured by Webb

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Stunning new images from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope showcase two young stars, Tau 042021 (left) and Oph-163131 (right), encircled by planet-forming disks. This unique perspective provides invaluable insights into the formation of worlds similar to ours.

Composite images of protoplanetary disks Tau 042021 (left) and Oph 163131 (right). Image credits: NASA / ESA / CSA / Webb / Hubble / ALMA / ESO / NAOJ / NRAO / G. Duchêne / M. Villenave.

“Protoplanetary disks emerge around newly formed stars,” stated Webb astronomers.

“As gas clumps collapse within larger molecular clouds, a thick disk of unused gas and dust orbits the newborn star.”

“This dust gradually collides and coalesces, forming planetesimals that can develop into planets over time.”

“Some planetesimals that don’t evolve into full-fledged planets remain as asteroids or comets orbiting the star.”

“Gas not consumed in this process will eventually be expelled by the star’s radiation over millions of years, leading to the disappearance of the protoplanetary disk.”

“This phenomenon explains how our solar system formed, shaping the asteroids, comets, gas giants, and terrestrial planets we recognize today.”

By studying other protoplanetary disks from earlier epochs, we can enhance our understanding of how solar system formation occurs and how various planets throughout the galaxy came into being.

The captivating images of protoplanetary disks Tau 042021 and Oph 163131—designated as 2MASS J04202144+2813491 and 2MASS J16313124-2426281—were captured using Webb’s NIRCam and MIRI instruments.

Tau 042021 lies approximately 450 light-years away in the constellation Taurus, while Oph 163131 is about 480 light-years distant in the constellation Ophiuchus.

“What distinguishes these objects is the orientation of their disks towards Webb’s perspective,” the astronomers explained.

“This alignment blocks most of the bright light from the central young star, allowing the fine dust in the disk to be illuminated by reflected starlight, creating a nebula above and below the disk.”

“The resulting images resemble colorful floating tops in space, providing not only a breathtaking view but also critical data for understanding the organization of planet-forming disks.”

“The dust distribution within and surrounding the disk profoundly influences how and where planets form.”

Source: www.sci.news

Hubble directly observes a barred spiral galaxy from a head-on perspective

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This new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the barred spiral galaxy NGC 3059 in the constellation Carina.

This Hubble Space Telescope image shows NGC 3059, a barred spiral galaxy about 57 million light-years away in the constellation Carina. Image courtesy of NASA / ESA / Hubble / D. Thilker.

NGC 3059 It is located in the constellation Carina, about 57 million light years away.

Also known as ESO 37-7, IRAS 09496-7341, and LEDA 28298, the galaxy has a diameter of 55,000 light years.

it was discovered It was discovered on February 22, 1835 by British astronomer John Herschel.

This new image of NGC 3059 shows Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) is present in the ultraviolet, near infrared, and visible light portions of the spectrum.

Six filters were used to sample different wavelengths, and color was generated by assigning a different hue to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.

“The data used to create this image was collected by Hubble in May 2024 as part of an observing program studying a large number of galaxies,” Hubble astronomers explained.

“All observations were made using the same range of filters – partially transparent materials that only let certain wavelengths of light through.”

“Filters are widely used in observational astronomy and can be adjusted to let through a very narrow range of light, or a somewhat broader range of light.”

“Narrowband filters are invaluable from a scientific perspective because specific wavelengths of light are associated with specific physical and chemical processes.”

“For example, under certain conditions, hydrogen atoms are known to emit red light with a wavelength of 656.46 nm.”

“Red light of this wavelength H-alpha radiationor “H-alpha radiation.”

“Their presence is extremely useful to astronomers as they serve as indicators of certain physical processes and conditions. For example, they are often a telltale sign that a new star is forming.”

“Thus, narrow-band filters tuned to pass H-alpha radiation can be used to identify regions of the universe where stars are forming.”

For this image of NGC 3059, a narrowband filter called the F657N or H-alpha filter was used.

“F stands for filter and N stands for narrow,” the astronomers said.

“The numbers represent the peak wavelength that the filter passes. 657 is very close to the wavelength of the 656.46 H-alpha line.”

“Data collected using five other filters also contributed to the image, and they are all broadband filters, meaning they let through a wider range of wavelengths of light.”

“This isn't very useful for identifying very specific lines (such as H-alpha), but it still allows us to explore relatively unusual parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.”

“And by integrating the information from multiple filters, we're able to create beautiful images like this.”

Source: www.sci.news