NASA Hubble Space Telescope Shares Amazing Photo of ‘Running Man’ Nebula Colliding in Gases

An unusual nebula in the Orion constellation was just caught by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The US space agency provided an image of a thick, brilliant cloud of gas and dust glow. NASA classified the uncommon nebula as HH 45, a Herbig-Haro object.

According to the scientist, Herbig-Haro is a nebula formed when hot gas expelled by a young star collides with the surrounding gas and dust at hundreds of miles per second. The dazzling shock waves created by this celestial occurrence provide a beautiful sight to see. The picture supplied by NASA shows ionized oxygen (O II) in the blue region and ionized magnesium in the purple portion of the shockwave (Mg II).

Hubble Space Telescope Sees 'The Running Man' Nebula

A Herbig-Haro object known as HH 45 may be observed burning with clouds of gas and dust. Herbig-Haro nebulae are a rare type of nebula that arise when gas and dust around a young star clash with gas expelled by it, resulting in dazzling shock waves, according to NASA.

The image's blue color represents the ionization of oxygen in the nebula, while purple represents the ionization of magnesium. "Hubble observed this region to look for stellar jets and planet-forming disks around young stars, and examine how their environment affects the evolution of such disks," says NASA.

Hubble looked for stellar jets and planet-forming disks around young stars in The Running Man area to see how their environment impacts the evolution of such disks.

A Young Star Spotted Emitting Plasma Jets

NASA also shared a photo of a young star named Parengo 2042 powering a plasma jet that spans over two light-years into space, also part of the nebula NGC 1977. According to NASA, the jet is the orange light in the image's center. The color is generated when the gas is ionized.

In addition, the photograph caught 'bow shocks,' which appear as blue waves and face the star 42 Orionis. Bow shocks get their name from the way streams of gas clash and flow across space in a crescent form.

"This makes it particularly useful to researchers because its outflow remains visible under the ionizing radiation of nearby stars. Typically the outflow of jets like this would only be visible as it collided with surrounding material, creating bright shock waves that vanish as they cool," NASA said per Space.com.

What Are Jets?

Researchers benefit from jets like these because the outflowing gas is visible due to surrounding stars' ionizing radiation, Universe Today said. Outflow jets usually are only seen when they clash with nearby gas and dust, causing dazzling shock waves that fade away as they cool. It also shows what Hubble was watching for when he observed this nebula.

Hubble studies nebulae that reflect light, such as NGC 1977, in the hopes of seeing star jets and planet-forming disks. The ultimate goal is to understand how ionizing radiation and other variables in the nearby environment impact the debris disks from which planets originate. Astronomers can enhance their models of planetary formation and address the larger concerns of how and where life might arise in our Universe with data acquired from these sorts of observational campaigns.

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