Astronomy Picture Of The Day: The "cosmic tornado" in the Chamaeleon I Cloud

 

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Black Hole @konstructivizm

Star birth produces high-energy gas, dust, and debris; some forms planets like Earth, while other bits drift as meteors or dust. 

Under right conditions, plasma jets from young stars shape debris into giant helical towers of cosmic dust, like Herbig-Haro objects—now vividly imaged by JWST.

Astronomers knew of these ionized gas flares near newborn stars, spanning light-years, including HH 49/50, the "cosmic tornado" in the Chamaeleon I Cloud, 625 light-years away. First spotted in 2006 by Spitzer Telescope as a blurry helical lump with a shining tip, its low resolution limited insights, but JWST now clarifies the view.