The recent observations from Webb combine data from its Near-Infrared Camera and Mid-Infrared Instrument, revealing swirling jet flows composed of glowing carbon monoxide, hydrogen molecules, and energized cosmic dust.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled stunning high-resolution images of Herbig-Haro 49/50, also known as the 'Cosmic Tornado', showcasing its intricate structure and a distant spiral galaxy.

Released on March 24, 2025, this image highlights a stellar outflow located approximately 625 light-years from Earth, creating the illusion of a rocket contrail due to the streaming gas and dust from a forming star.

The protostar Cederblad 110 IRS4, located about 1.5 light-years from HH 49/50, is believed to be driving the jets that energize the outflow.

The arcs in HH 49/50 show varying directions, suggesting complex interactions, possibly involving another outflow or fragmentation of the main outflow.

HH 49/50 is situated in the Chamaeleon I Cloud complex, one of the closest active star formation regions in the Milky Way.

This outflow moves at speeds between 60 to 190 miles per second and represents just one aspect of a larger outflow phenomenon.

The distant spiral galaxy seen at the tip of HH 49/50 features a prominent central bulge and regions of warm dust, indicating active star formation.

Webb, launched in 2021 as the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, captured this scene using infrared technology, emphasizing a 'lucky alignment' of two unrelated cosmic phenomena.

Over time, the expanding outflow from HH 49/50 is expected to obscure the distant galaxy from view, a process anticipated to unfold over thousands of years.

Images like this one are crucial for scientists to understand the early, tumultuous stages of star development and the properties of stellar outflows.

Herbig-Haro objects, such as HH 49/50, are formed by jets from young stars impacting denser material, generating shock waves and heating the surrounding environment, which emits light in visible and infrared wavelengths.