Free Astronomy Magazine September-October 2024

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2024 In the Webb image, these jets are signified by bright clumpy streaks that appear red, which are shock- waves from the jet hitting surround- ing gas and dust. Here, the red color represents the presence of molecu- lar hydrogen and carbon monoxide. “This area of the Serpens Nebula – Serpens North – only comes into clear view with Webb,” said lead au- thor Joel Green of the Space Tele- scope Science Institute in Baltimore. “We’re now able to catch these ex- tremely young stars and their out- flows, some of which previously appeared as just blobs or were com- pletely invisible in optical wave- lengths because of the thick dust surrounding them.” Astronomers say there are a few forces that potentially can shift the direction of the outflows during this period of a young star’s life. One way is when binary stars spin around each other and wobble in orientation, twisting the direction of the outflows over time. The Serpens Nebula, located 1,300 light-years from Earth, is only one or two million years old, which is very young in cosmic terms. It’s also home to a particularly dense cluster of newly forming stars (~100,000