Mysterious Glowing Question Mark Object Photobombs NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Image
WASHINGTON — In a recent image captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a cosmic object in the shape of a glowing question mark has made an unexpected appearance. Scientists are intrigued by this phenomenon and are speculating about its origins and characteristics.
The image, released on July 26, featured a pair of young stars called Herbig-Haro 46/47. These stars are still in the process of formation and are located 1,470 light-years away in the Vela constellation within the Milky Way galaxy. While these stars have been studied since the 1950s, the high-resolution capabilities of the Webb telescope have provided the most detailed image to date.
However, it is the unidentified question mark-shaped object in the background that has caught the attention of scientists. Due to its shape and location, researchers have ruled out the possibility of it being a star within the Milky Way galaxy.
Matt Caplan, assistant professor of physics at Illinois State University, explained that stars appear as point-like objects with distinct spikes due to diffraction from the edges of mirrors and camera support systems. The lack of these spikes indicates that the cosmic question mark is not a star.
One possibility suggested by Christopher Britt, an education and outreach scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute, is that the object could be the result of a merger between two galaxies. These galaxies may be billions of light-years away, much farther than the proximity of Herbig-Haro 46/47. Galaxies often collide and merge, leading to distorted shapes like the question mark observed in the image.
While this specific object is likely being observed for the first time, the merging of galaxies into question mark-like shapes has occurred before. For instance, the Antennae Galaxies in the Corvus constellation also formed a backward question mark shape. According to Britt, most galaxies have gone through multiple interactions like this over their history, although they don’t remain in this shape for long.
Experts caution that it is difficult to definitively identify objects in space, as the universe is constantly in motion. Caplan noted that even the sun and the galaxy are in constant motion due to their orbits and the influence of gravity.
The question mark shape of the object suggests a gravitational interaction between two merging galaxies, with the hook resembling a tidal tail where stars and gas have been ripped off and dispersed. To gather more information about the object, scientists suggest collecting spectroscopic data to determine its distance and chemical compositions.
Despite the curiosity surrounding this cosmic photobomb, researchers acknowledge that observing and studying the object in greater detail may not be a top priority. However, Caplan remarked that motivated individuals could still make observations and expand our understanding of such phenomena.
As scientists continue to explore the mysteries of our universe, the Webb telescope’s capabilities remain crucial in shedding light on the origins and peculiarities of cosmic objects like the glowing question mark.