The issue highlights research led by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies and including astronomers from UK ATC.
The cover features a striking composite near-infrared image of Herbig-Haro 211, an interstellar jet originating from a young star within the Perseus Molecular Cloud. Protostar Herbig-Haro 211 resembles the early Sun when it was merely tens of thousands of years old. The image, combined with accompanying spectroscopy, provides valuable insights into the formation of our Solar System.
Contrary to prior expectations, the researchers made a surprising discovery: the jet primarily consists of molecules rather than atoms and ions. These molecules shed light on the 'green fuzzies' previously observed in images of the jet taken by the Spitzer telescope in the early 2000s.
Read the paper.
Browse volume 622 of Nature.
