The ‘Cosmic Tornado’ Uncovered: Webb’s New Look at Herbig-Haro 49/50 and What It Reveals

    The James Webb Space Telescope has captured its clearest look yet at Herbig-Haro 49/50, exposing fine shock-wave details and even uncovering a distant spiral galaxy hidden within the outflow.

    James Webb Space Telescope looking at galaxies.
    Webb’s infrared image of Herbig-Haro 49/50 reveals detailed shock waves created by jets from a forming star.

    Herbig-Haro 49/50 sits within one of the closest active star-forming regions in the Milky Way, making it an important target for astronomers. The structure is known for its striking outflow, created as a young star launches fast-moving jets into the surrounding gas. With Webb’s sharp infrared imaging, scientists can now examine this region with greater detail than ever before.

    Webb’s Clear View of a Stellar Outflow

    Webb’s new composite image blends NIRCam and MIRI observations, offering a crisp look at the swirling material inside Herbig-Haro 49/50. Researchers can see small-scale features that were impossible to distinguish before.

    With the object only about 630 light-years away in the constellation Chamaeleon, it provides a nearby example of how young stars shape their surroundings.

    Herbig-Haro objects are created when jets from a forming star crash into denser gas, heating it and producing bright shock waves. As this material cools, it glows in visible and infrared light, tracing the path of the outflow. Webb highlights glowing hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and energized dust—elements that outline the jet’s motion as it pushes through space.

    Earlier images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope hinted at a “cosmic tornado” shape, but Webb shows that the structure is far more intricate. Instead of a smooth funnel, the outflow contains rippling filaments and arcs shaped by the jet’s changing direction over time. These details will help astronomers model how these jets evolve and influence future star formation.

    A Background Galaxy Hiding in Plain Sight

    One of Webb’s surprises is the identification of a face-on spiral galaxy sitting right at the apparent tip of the 'tornado.' What once looked like a small, fuzzy knot at the end of the jet is now revealed to be a distant galaxy with a blue central bulge, warm dusty regions, and even evacuated bubbles inside its spiral arms.

    This galaxy is not physically related to Herbig-Haro 49/50—it is simply a lucky alignment. Over thousands of years, the expanding outflow will gradually drift across the galaxy’s position, eventually appearing to overlap it completely.

    The clarity of the galaxy highlights the power of Webb’s infrared instruments, which can simultaneously capture nearby star-forming regions and far-off galaxies in the same field of view.

    Tracing the Jet Back to Its Source

    The arc-shaped structures within Herbig-Haro 49/50 point back toward a likely driver: the young protostar Cederblad 110 IRS4. Located about 1.5 light-years away, this Class I protostar is still gaining mass and holds a disk of material spiraling inward. Webb has also helped researchers analyze the icy compounds surrounding this forming star, offering clues about the ingredients involved in early stellar development.

    Not all arcs point perfectly to the same spot, suggesting the jet may wobble or precess. A small outcrop near the upper right of the outflow may even belong to another jet or be a sign that the main outflow is breaking apart. These complexities show that star formation is anything but a smooth, predictable process.

    News reference:

    ESA. “Webb unmasks true nature of the Cosmic Tornado”https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Webb/Webb_unmasks_true_nature_of_the_Cosmic_Tornado