Get the latest Science News and Discoveries

The Ultraviolet Mystery Inside Newborn Stars


Young stars buried deep in molecular clouds are bathed in ultraviolet radiation, but they shouldn't be. Protostars are too cold and dim to produce UV light themselves, yet James Webb Space Telescope observations of five stellar nurseries in Ophiuchus reveal its unmistakable signature affecting the surrounding gas. Astronomers tested the obvious explanation that nearby massive stars illuminate these birthplaces but subsequently ruled it out. The UV radiation must be coming from inside the star forming regions themselves, forcing a fundamental rethink of how stars are born.

None

Get the Android app

Or read this on Universe Today

Read more on:

Photo of newborn stars

newborn stars

Photo of ultraviolet mystery

ultraviolet mystery

Related news:

News photo

Hubble Captures a Stunning Spiral Galaxy Bursting With Newborn Stars

News photo

Hubble Telescope spies newborn stars in famous Orion Nebula (photo)

News photo

VST Sees Newborn Stars in Gum 39