Suggested Searches

 

1 min read

Webb Reveals the Protostar L1527 IRS

Explore the formation of a star as can only be seen by the Webb Space Telescope. This 3D visualization exposes the structures around the protostar L1527 IRS.

Even with the best optical telescopes, the nebula L1527 appears as a dark, featureless cloud. But it contains a secret within. L1527 IRS is a star in the process of formation that can be detected using the infrared eyes of Webb.

Shrouded in dust, the protostar accretes new material from a disk, and expels some of it into hourglass-shaped lobes. Examine the features revealed in a 3D model based on the Webb image.

  • Release Date
    November 16, 2022
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Webb Catches Fiery Hourglass as New Star Forms
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Visualization: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Ralf Crawford, Leah Hustak, Alyssa Pagan, Frank Summers, Gregory Bacon

Downloads

  • Video: 60 fps, 3840 × 2160, 60 FPS
    mp4 (20.09 MB)
  • Video: 60 fps, 1920 × 1080, 60 FPS
    mp4 (8.54 MB)
  • Video: 30 fps, 3840 × 2160, 30 FPS
    mp4 (45.02 MB)
  • Video: 30 fps, 1920 × 1080, 30 FPS
    mp4 (7.97 MB)
  • Audio Description
    mp4 (18.26 MB)
  • Audio Description
    mp3 (375.71 KB)
  • Audio Description
    doc (19.89 KB)
  • Captions: Music Only
    srt (89 B)
  • Captions: Music Only
    vtt (137 B)
  • Image: Poster Image, 1280 × 720
    png (906.61 KB)

Related Images & Videos

A forming protostar surrounded by a large hourglass-shaped nebula. A bright orange object, the protostar, lies at the center of this image. In front of the protostar is a thin grey line, which is the protostar’s accretion disk. Above the protostar is an orange, triangular cloud of gas that points to the top left of the image. The area closest to the protostar is a brighter orange than the area to the top left, and has more pronounced plumes of orange gas. Below the protostar is another triangular cloud of gas that points to the bottom right of the image. The area closest to the protostar is a blend of pronounced blue and orange plumes of gas. Farther toward the bottom right, the color of the gas turns primarily blue. Stars and galaxies of many different shapes and sizes are scattered around the image, although they are noticeably more absent on the left side of the hourglass.

L1527 and Protostar (NIRCam Image)

The protostar within the dark cloud L1527, shown in this image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), is embedded within a cloud of material feeding its growth. Ejections from the star have cleared out cavities above and below it, whose boundaries...

A forming protostar surrounded by a large hourglass-shaped nebula. A bright orange object, the protostar, lies at the center of this image. In front of the protostar is a thin grey line, which is the protostar’s accretion disk. Above the protostar is an orange, triangular cloud of gas that points to the top left of the image. The area closest to the protostar is a brighter orange than the area to the top left, and has more pronounced plumes of orange gas. Below the protostar is another triangular cloud of gas that points to the bottom right of the image. The area closest to the protostar is a blend of pronounced blue and orange plumes of gas. Farther toward the bottom right, the color of the gas turns primarily blue. Stars and galaxies of many different shapes and sizes are scattered around the image, although they are noticeably more absent on the left side of the hourglass.

L1527 and Protostar (NIRCam Compass Image)

This image of the nebula L1527, captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), shows compass arrows, 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...

Share

Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

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

Visualization Credit

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Ralf Crawford, Leah Hustak, Alyssa Pagan, Frank Summers, Gregory Bacon

Related Terms

Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

James Webb Space Telescope

Space Telescope

Science Overview

Webb Observatory

Webb Image Galleries