Two protostars are hidden
in a single pixel near the center of a striking hourglass-shaped nebula
in this near-infrared image from the James Webb Space Telescope.
The
actively forming
star system lies in a dusty molecular cloud
cataloged as Lynds 483, some 650 light-years distant toward the
constellation
Serpens Cauda.
Responsible for the stunning
bipolar outflows,
the collapsing protostars have been blasting out
collimated energetic jets
of material over tens of thousands of years.
Webb's high-resolution view shows the violence of star-formation
in dramatic detail
as twisting shock fronts expand and collide with slower, denser material.
The premier close-up of the star-forming region
spans less than 1/2 a light-year within
dark nebula Lynds 483.