Recently, the James Webb Space Telescope, operated by NASA and ESA, has revealed an impressive image of the Taurus constellation, showing the birth of new stars. This discovery coincides with the Argentine July 9th, offering a kind of unprecedented cosmic “fireworks” display.
The James Webb Telescope reveals new suns in Taurus
The image provided by the FS Tau star system is not only visually striking but also marks a significant advancement in our ability to observe the birth of new suns through dense galactic dust. This system is located 450 light-years away and had previously only been captured as an opaque nebula.
The advanced technology of the Webb, especially its ability to capture infrared wavelengths, has allowed visualization of parts of the universe that were previously inaccessible to other telescopes. In contrast, the Hubble telescope could not penetrate the thick dust obscuring this region of space.
Thanks to these capabilities, the Webb has allowed distant galaxies and structures to appear clearly in the background, illuminating the scene as if they were sparks in a cosmic celebration. The primary mirror of the Webb, composed of 18 hexagonal segments, is significantly larger than Hubble’s, contributing to its observational capacity.
The Webb Telescope operates near the Earth-Sun Lagrange point L2, 1,500,000 km beyond Earth’s orbit, offering a much broader perspective compared to Hubble, which orbits 550 km from Earth.
Within the FS Tau system, the Webb has detected protostars in their early stages of development. These “baby” stars are between 1 and 3 million years old, an insignificant age compared to our Sun’s 4.6 billion years.
Among the discoveries are FS Tau A, a pair of protostars, and FS Tau B, which shows gas flows in vivid orange and red tones. The Webb has detected “gaps” in these flows, suggesting that the stars grow through episodes of matter accumulation.
The study of these low-mass protostars is crucial for understanding how star systems similar to ours form. The episodic accretion experienced by these celestial bodies is key to understanding their growth and impact on the surrounding environment.
The Webb has captured impressive light blue ridges near FS Tau B, formed by the interaction of matter expelled by the stars with the surrounding gas. This phenomenon underscores the Webb’s ability to distinguish textures and colors, providing valuable information about the evolution of these young stars.
Although they are currently just developing gas clusters, the protostars of FS Tau are destined to mature and shine steadily for billions of years, just like our Sun.
