Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Telescope captures dramatic moment of star being born

Newborn Star

AP

This image made available by the European Southern Observatory on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2013, using radio and visible light frequencies shows the Herbig-Haro object HH 46/47. The orange and green, lower right, of the newborn star reveal a large energetic jet moving away from the Earth, which in the visible is hidden by dust and gas. To the left, in pink and purple, the visible part of the jet is seen, streaming partly towards the Earth. Astronomers say these illuminated jets from the newborn star are spewing out faster than ever measured before and are more energetic than previously thought.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — This is one baby picture you won't want to miss.

The ALMA telescope in Chile has captured a close-up of the glowing material spewing from a newborn star.

The stunning images show material streaming from the baby star at incredible speed, glowing as it plows into the surrounding gas and dust. Astronomers say these illuminated jets are spewing out faster than ever measured before and are more energetic than previously thought.

The glowing mass is called a Herbig-Haro object, named after U.S. and Mexican astronomers. This one is 1,400 light-years away in the constellation Vela.

ALMA actually consists of an array of 66 antennas and is relatively new. It's located in one of the driest places on Earth, the Atacama desert.

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