NASA Drops Stunning New James Webb Image of a Star Being Born

This is the latest mind-bending image from the James Webb Space Telescope.

NASA notes in a post that the telescope's Near-Infrared Camera was put to incredible use when capturing the "once-hidden features" of the beginning of a star.

These objects are known as "protostars" and are not yet stars. The telescope captures images of a newborn star.

As NASA notes, the star is hidden within a disk of bright lights in the image, which is about the size of our solar system.

Countdown to a new star ⏳

Hidden in the neck of this “hourglass” of light are the very beginnings of a new star — a protostar. The clouds of dust and gas within this region are only visible in infrared light, the wavelengths that Webb specializes in: https://t.co/DtazblATMW pic.twitter.com/aGEEBO9BB8

— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) November 16, 2022

Stellar Anatomy

This is not the first time a space telescope has observed star birth, but it is the most recent.

The post states that the dense dust and gas is drawn to the center where the star is located. The material moves around the center as it falls in. An accretion disk is a dense disk of material created when this happens.

The stellar fetus takes most of the material that has been shocked as it is ejected from the star. It continues to feed on that material, growing bigger and bigger until its core temperature starts to rise to the point that it starts nuclear fusion.

It's amazing to see that process in action, and another testament to the power of James.

NASA fixes months long issue with the telescope.