NASA has spotted a remarkable “fiery hourglass” out in space which may reveal some secrets closer to home.
The mind-blowing shot was snapped by the powerful James Webb Space Telescope and shows a new star as it’s being formed.
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In it, we can see dark clouds – known officially as L1527 – which are made up of dust and gas.
But we also get a glimpse of mesmerising orange and blue glows as material shoots away from the star, creating an hourglass-like effect.
Nasa says the upper central region displays bubble-like shapes due to stellar “burps”.
The body is at the earliest stage of star formation, making it a protostar for now.
It’s about 100,000 years old, which is actually pretty young by space standards.
Aside from being an amazing view, the photo reveals what our own Sun and solar system looked like when they were formed.
“Given the density, it’s not unusual for much of this material to clump together – the beginnings of planets,” Nasa explained.
“Ultimately, this view of L1527 provides a window into what our Sun and solar system looked like in their infancy.”
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But we wouldn’t be able to see the view with our own eyes.
It’s been made possible thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam).
The brand new telescope has already impressed since launching on Christmas Day 2021.
In July, Nasa unveiled the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date.
Webb’s mission is to uncover the hidden depths of our universe, peering at the faint light of early stars and galaxies created after the Big Bang some 250 million years.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
