A Photograph of a Newly Formed Star Has Been Shared

The James Webb Space Telescope was launched into space in December 2021 and began operations this past summer. New frames taken by the most advanced space telescope, which regularly reveals the depths of the universe, were shared today.

James Webb observed this time a ‘protostar’ known as ‘L1527’ feeding on hourglass-shaped materials. The result is this stunning image showing the moments when a star is feeding off of its surrounding material during its formation process:

L1527 through the eyes of James Webb

Click to download in full size. (29.94MB)

In the photo we see above, the structures above and below the star consist of the materials that the star feeds on. The black line in the middle of the structure, which you can see when you zoom in on the photo, is the result of a disk-shaped structure made up of gas and dust spinning around the star.

L1527 protostar is among the youngest stars ever discovered. The star is only 100 thousand years old yet. Our star, the Sun, whose energy makes life on Earth possible, is 4.5 billion years old.