James Webb Telescope Captures The Early Stages Of Star Formation

A University of Alberta-led research team has propelled our understanding of how faraway spiral galaxies formed and evolved, thanks to the powerful capabilities of the James Webb Telescope.

Study co-author Erik Rosolowsky, a professor in the Department of Physics, and Hamid Hassani, a PhD student and lead author, examined the infrared light emitted from interstellar dust clouds at different wavelengths to help categorize what they were seeing, and discovered they were observing young stars that erupted onto the scene instantaneously.

Unlike previous observation tools, the telescope’s mid-infrared instrument can penetrate dust and gas clouds to provide critical information about how stars are forming in these galaxies, and consequently, how they are evolving.

“We’re studying 19 of our closest analogues to our own galaxy. In our own galaxy

we can’t make a lot of these discoveries because we’re stuck inside it,” says Rosolowsky.

The researchers also found a close relationship between the mass of stars in a region and how bright they were. According to Rosolowsky, it “was a brilliant way to find high-mass stars” — which he calls “rock stars” because “they live fast, they die young and they really shape the galaxy around them.”

When they’re forming, he explains, they release huge amounts of solar wind and gas bubbles, which halts star formation in that particular area while simultaneously stirring up the galaxy and sparking star formation in other areas.

“We’ve discovered this is actually really key for the long-term life of a galaxy, this kind of bubbling froth, because it keeps the galaxy from going through its fuel too quickly,” says Rosolowsky.

It’s a complex process, with each new star formation playing a larger role in how the galaxy changes over time, adds Hassani.