HH 211: Laser-Sharp Jet Splits Water

Spitzer_sig08-012_1024

spitzer_sig08-012 September 18th, 2008

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/A. Tappe (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)

A jet of gas firing out of a very young star can be seen ramming into a wall of material in this infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The young star, called HH 211-mm, is cloaked in dust and can't be seen. But streaming away from the star are bipolar jets, color-coded blue in this view. The pink blob at the end of the jet to the lower left shows where the jet is hitting a wall of material. The jet is hitting the wall so hard that shock waves are being generated, which causes ice to vaporize off dust grains. The shock waves are also heating material up, producing energetic ultraviolet radiation. The ultraviolet radiation then breaks the water vapor molecules apart.

The red color at the end of the lower jet represents shock-heated iron, sulfur and dust, while the blue color in both jets denotes shock-heated hydrogen molecules.

HH 211-mm is part of a cluster of about 300 stars, called IC 348, located 1,000 light-years away in the constellation Perseus.

This image is a composite of infrared data from Spitzer's infrared array camera and its multiband imaging photometer. Light with wavelengths of 3.6 and 4.5 microns is blue; 8-micron-light is green; and 24-micron light is red.

Provider: Spitzer Space Telescope

Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/2068-sig08-012-HH-221-Laser-Sharp-Jet-Splits-Water

Curator: Spitzer Space Telescope, Pasadena, CA, USA

Image Use Policy: Public Domain

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Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
HH 211
Subject - Milky Way
Nebula > Type > Jet
Nebula > Type > Star Formation
Star > Evolutionary Stage > Protostar
Star > Circumstellar Material > Outflow

Distance

Universescale1
1,000 light years
Spitzer_sig08-012_128
 

Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 3h 43m 56.5s
DEC = 32° 0’ 50.0”
Orientation
North is up
Field of View
7.3 x 4.8 arcminutes
Constellation
Perseus

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Blue Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Near-IR) 3.6 µm
Cyan Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Near-IR) 4.5 µm
Green Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Mid-IR) 8.0 µm
Red Spitzer (MIPS) Infrared (Mid-IR) 24.0 µm
Spectrum_ir1
Blue
Cyan
Green
Red
Spitzer_sig08-012_1280
×
ID
sig08-012
Subject Category
B.4.1.5   B.4.1.2   B.3.1.1   B.3.7.3.  
Subject Name
HH 211
Credits
NASA/JPL-Caltech/A. Tappe (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
Release Date
2008-09-18
Lightyears
1,000
Redshift
1,000
Reference Url
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/2068-sig08-012-HH-221-Laser-Sharp-Jet-Splits-Water
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
Spitzer, Spitzer, Spitzer, Spitzer
Instrument
IRAC, IRAC, IRAC, MIPS
Color Assignment
Blue, Cyan, Green, Red
Band
Infrared, Infrared, Infrared, Infrared
Bandpass
Near-IR, Near-IR, Mid-IR, Mid-IR
Central Wavelength
3600, 4500, 8000, 24000
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
J2000
Reference Value
55.9854166667, 32.0138888889
Reference Dimension
1760, 1160
Reference Pixel
900, 600
Scale
-6.9444e-5, 6.9444e-5
Rotation
0.00000
Coordinate System Projection:
TAN
Quality
Position
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
Spitzer Space Telescope
URL
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
1200 E. California Blvd.
City
Pasadena
State/Province
CA
Postal Code
91125
Country
USA
Rights
Public Domain
Publisher
Spitzer Science Center
Publisher ID
spitzer
Resource ID
sig08-012.tif
Metadata Date
2011-09-02
Metadata Version
1.1
×

 

Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

×
Universescalefull
1,000 light years

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