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L1527 and Protostar (MIRI Image)

A growing protostar embedded within a molecular cloud. The center of the image shows a bright, red region, where the protostar resides, with a thin, gray lane cutting through it horizontally, which is the protostar’s accretion disk. Above and below this region are white and blue triangular-shaped cavities in the molecular cloud, which give the overall object an hourglass shape. The areas of the cavities closest to the central protostar have more pronounced plumes of white gas and dust that fade to a blue color further from the center. There are red, yellow, orange, blue, and green stars and galaxies scattered across the image.

L1527, shown in this image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), is a molecular cloud that harbors a protostar. It resides about 460 light-years from Earth in the constellation Taurus. The more diffuse blue light and the filamentary structures in the image come from organic compounds known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), while the red at the center of this image is an energized, thick layer of gases and dust that surrounds the protostar. The region in between, which shows up in white, is a mixture of PAHs, ionized gas, and other molecules.

This image includes filters representing 7.7 microns light as blue, 12.8 microns light as green, and 18 microns light as red. 

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    04:39:53.59
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    +26:03:05.50
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Taurus
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    About 460 light-years
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    Image is 2.37 arcmin across (about 0.32 light-years)

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.

    This image was created from JWST data from proposal: 2739 (K. Pontoppidan). Image processing: Macarena Garcia Marin (STScI), Joseph DePasquale (STScI).

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    MIRI
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    08 Sep 2022
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F770W, F1280W, F1800W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    L1527 IRS (IRAS 04368+2557)
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Young Stellar Object
  • Release Date
    July 2, 2024
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Webb Captures Celestial Fireworks Around Forming Star
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Downloads

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A growing protostar embedded within a molecular cloud. The center of the image shows a bright, red region, where the protostar resides, with a thin, gray lane cutting through it horizontally, which is the protostar’s accretion disk. Above and below this region are white and blue triangular-shaped cavities in the molecular cloud, which give the overall object an hourglass shape. The areas of the cavities closest to the central protostar have more pronounced plumes of white gas and dust that fade to a blue color further from the center. There are red, yellow, orange, blue, and green stars and galaxies scattered across the image.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope using the MIRI instrument. Several filters were used to sample different infrared wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are:    Blue: F770W, Green: F1280W, Red: F1800W

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

Related Images & Videos

Image titled “James Webb Space Telescope, L1527 IRS, IRAS 04368+2557” with compass arrows, scale bar, and color key. A growing protostar embedded within a molecular cloud. The center of the image shows a bright, red region, where the growing protostar resides, with a thin, gray lane of matter cutting through it horizontally. Above and below this region are blue triangular-shaped molecular clouds, which give the overall object an hourglass shape. There are red, yellow, orange, blue, and green stars and galaxies scattered across the background. At the bottom left are compass arrows indicating the orientation of the image on the sky. The north arrow points in the 8 o’clock direction. The east arrow points toward 5 o’clock. At the lower right is a scale bar labeled 800 AU. Below the image is a color key showing the MIRI filters and their visible-light color assignment. From left to right, MIRI filters are: F770W is blue; F1280W is green; and F1800W is red.

L1527 and Protostar (MIRI Compass Image)

This image of the nebula L1527, captured by Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), shows compass arrows, a scale bar, and color key for reference. The north and east compass arrows show the orientation of the image on the sky. Note that the relationship between north and east on...

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Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Image Credit

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

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