(ORDO NEWS) — Jets observed from young stars often accompany newly born luminaries and, presumably, the reason for their occurrence is related to the interaction between the magnetic fields of rotating young stars and the gaseous disks surrounding them.
As a result of these interactions, twin streams of ionized gas are erupted in opposite directions, like the jets shown in this image taken by astronomers using the Gemini South telescope in the Chilean Andes.
The jet in this image, called MHO 2147, lies about 10,000 light-years from Earth and lies in the galactic plane of the Milky Way, close to the boundary between the constellations Sagittarius and Ophiuchi.
The MHO 2147 jet snakes against the background of the starry sky in the picture – which makes this jet look like the prey of the legendary Ophiuchus from the constellation close to it. Like many of the 88 modern astronomical constellations, the Ophiuchus constellation has mythological roots – in ancient Greece, it represented various gods and heroes fighting a serpent.
Most jets emitted by stars are straight, but twisty and knotty varieties are also found. The shape of jagged jets may be related to the nature of the object or objects that create them. In the case of the bipolar jet MHO 2147, the star emitting it is hidden from view.
In the case of the MHO 2147 jet, this young central star, named IRAS 17527-2439, lies within an infrared dark cloud, a cold region filled with dense gas that is impenetrable to the infrared rays in which this image was taken.
The wavy shape of the MHO 2147 jet is explained by the fact that its direction has changed over time, as a result of which a slight bend has formed on each side of the star.
These almost continuous curves indicate that the MHO 2147 jet was formed by an almost continuous radiation flux from the central source. Astronomers have found that the change in direction (precession) of the jet may be due to the gravitational influence from nearby stars on the central star. These observations show
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