A ‘buried treasure’ is hidden in this fascinating film by James Webb

Something incredible was hidden in one of them James Webb’s spectacular first films. A” Treasure “was” was buried ” Located in the Carina Nebula, 8,500 light-years away JWST Space Laboratory. This is NASA declared on December 15, 2022.” A deep dive [ndlr : dans cette image] appeared young Stars At a stealthy stage of growth – and help us read how the stars love us the sun form. »

For astronomers, observing such young stars is complicated. As the space agency reminds us, At this early stage of development stars are hidden in clouds of dust and gas “. Only the most sophisticated instruments, especially those capable of seeing infrared light, can detect traces of these stars in the making, especially at this particular moment. James Webb This early period of development is brief: it lasts only a few thousand years, it lasts millions of years.

This is what happened to the Sun about 5 billion years ago

What exactly are we looking at? We are in NGC 3324, the Carina Nebula. These “cosmic rocks” are located at the edge of the gas cavity. Very young stars form there They interact with their environment by absorbing matter and then excreting some », Summary NASA. This ejected material creates jets that help heat the surrounding hydrogen. It creates the light that James Webb perceives.

Astrophysicist Eric Lacadek of the Côte d’Azur Observatory sums it all up in a few words: ” We see what happened to the Sun 4.6 billion years ago! “. Like all stars, one in the heart of the heart The Solar System Not immortal. The sun is now in the middle of its lifeIt began under conditions comparable to what astronomers see now in the Carina Nebula.

Previously, these jets and flows were only seen in nearby regions, so that the Hubble telescope could distinguish them. Thanks to James Webb, scientists can now reach more distant regions and gain insight into our solar system’s past.