It is very difficult to see a star being born. Much of the protostar’s formation process and details are hidden from prying eyes under a thick layer of dust. Typically, stars are forged in dark nebulae, whose higher concentration of matter makes them more opaque.

Fortunately, the infrared band offers a slit through which to peek, and that, combined with the extraordinary surveillance power of NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Space Agency Canadian) from the James Webb Space Telescope, allowed the Webb to capture this spectacular image of dark cloud L1527, revealing details never seen before.

The structure is quite reminiscent of an hourglass. The protostar is hidden in the slender neck of the hourglass. The bright plumes above and below this neck are essentially jets of material propelled by the star colliding with surrounding material.

L1527 is only about 100,000 years old. Due to its age and characteristics, L1527 is considered a class 0 protostar, that is, at the earliest stage of star formation.

Protostars like this, still shrouded in a dark veil of dust and gas, still have a long way to go before they become true stars.

(Image: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI. Image processing: J. DePasquale, A. Pagan and A. Koekemoer (STScI))

L1527 does not yet generate its own energy by nuclear hydrogen fusion. But as the protostar accumulates mass, its core gradually compresses, its temperature increases, and the star moves closer and closer to activating stable nuclear fusion. (Character font: NCYT by Amazings)