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The bright starjet is emitted by Parengo 2042, a protostar that resides in the reflection nebula NGC 1977.
Hubble captured a jet of light (orange object at the bottom center of the image) of the protostar Parengo 2042 in this image from NGC 1977. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / J. Bally, University of Colorado at Boulder / Gladys Kober, NASA and Catholic University of America.
NGC 1977 is located approximately 1,500 light years in the direction of the constellation Orion.
Otherwise known as C 0532-048, it is one of a trio of reflection nebulae that make up the much larger Running Man Nebula.
NGC 1977 was discovered by German-born British astronomer William Herschel on January 18, 1786.
“The young star Parengo 2042 is encrusted in a disc of debris which could give birth to planets”, explained the astronomers of Hubble.
“The star fuels a pulsed plasma jet that spans two light years across space, bending northward in the Hubble image.”
“The gas from the jet was ionized until it glowed with radiation from a nearby star, 42 Orionis.”
“This makes it particularly useful to researchers because its flow remains visible under ionizing radiation from nearby stars. “
“Typically, the output of jets like this would only be visible when it collides with surrounding materials, creating shock waves of light that vanish as it cools.”
Hubble photographed a small section of the Running Man Nebula, which lies close to the famous Orion Nebula and is a favorite target for amateur astronomers to observe and photograph. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / J. Bally, University of Colorado at Boulder / DSS / Gladys Kober, NASA & Catholic University of America.
“In the image, the red and orange colors indicate the jet and the glowing gas of the associated shocks,” they said.
“The brilliant blue ripples that appear to move away from the jet to the right of the image are arc shocks facing the star 42 Orionis (not shown).”
“Arc shocks occur in space when gas streams collide and are named after the crescent-shaped waves produced by a ship as it moves through water.”
“The bright west lobe of the jet is surrounded by a series of orange arcs that decrease in size with increasing distance from the star, forming a cone or spindle shape.”
“These arcs can trace the ionized outer edge of a debris disc around the star with a radius 500 times the distance between the Sun and Earth and a large hole (170 AU) in the center of the disc.”
“The spindle-shaped shape can trace the surface of a flow of matter away from the disc and is estimated to lose the mass of about one hundred million suns each year.”
