【All Out with AJ Raval (2025)】

About 200 light-yearsfrom the black holeat the center of the Milky Waylies a region that isn't as fertile as scientists would think. 

This star-forming cloud of gas and All Out with AJ Raval (2025)dust, Sagittarius C, is brimming with all of the material to make star babies, yet its yield of new stars remains relatively low, despite the fact that it has likely birthed thousands of stars already. Scientists pointed the James Webb Space Telescope, a collaboration of NASAand its European and Canadian spacecounterparts, at this mysterious stellar nursery to try to figure out why. With its powerful infrared vision, the telescope was able to give a clearer picture. 

The findings, published in The Astrophysical Journalin two papers, provide new insightsinto why some star-forming clouds may appear relatively impotent. Researchers now believe strong magnetic fields may be responsible for the lack of output.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

"A big question has been, if there is so much dense gas and dust here, and we know stars form in these kinds of clouds, why are so few stars born in Sagittarius C?" said John Bally, an astrophysicist at the University of Colorado Boulder, in a statement. "For the first time, we are seeing that strong magnetic fields may be playing a major role in stopping star formation."

SEE ALSO: Webb telescope finds Milky Way black hole never stops strobing light The Meerkat radio telescope in South Africa puts the Webb image in context by showing Sagittarius C in an environment spanning 1,000 light-years. The inset Webb image covers about 44 light-years. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / SARAO / Samuel Crowe / John Bally / Ruben Fedriani / Ian Heywood

Webb was built to detect invisible light at infrared wavelengths. Cosmic dust and gas obscure the view to extremely distant and inherently dim light sources, but infrared waves can pierce through the clouds. One Webb scientist likened the strength of the telescope to being able to sense the heat of a single bumblebee on the moon.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Scientists say understanding what's going on in Sagittarius C is an important step in understanding star formation generally. Starscreate most of the chemical elements on Earth, including carbon and oxygen, which are essential ingredients for life. But even experts admit they have much to learn about how the universemakes new stars. 

The researchers confirmed that two enormous stars, each more than 20 times the mass of the sun, are growing inside Sagittarius C, blasting out powerful jets of gas as they develop. They also identified five smaller stars swaddled in thick layers of dust. 

Dust and gas obscure the view to extremely distant and inherently dim light sources, but infrared waves can pierce through the clouds. Credit: NASA GSFC / CIL / Adriana Manrique Gutierrez illustration

Webb also detected 88 weird structures made of glowing hydrogen, thought to be shock wavescaused by young stars tossing out their own material into space. Additionally, scientists discovered an entirely separate nearby star factory with at least two of its own growing stars.

---

Related Stories

---

• Scientists find 2 stars 'thriving' on the brink of a giant black hole
• Webb telescope finds Milky Way black hole never stops strobing light
• The best telescopes for gazing at stars and solar eclipses in 2024
• Webb reveals that's no star over there. It's an entire freaking galaxy.
• He found a Milky Way black hole 50 years ago, and finally got to see it

Prior to these studies, Sagittarius C showed dozens of threadlike filaments, some several light-years long, in hot hydrogen gas surrounding the main star-forming cloud. Scientists think magnetic forces of the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*, might be strong enough to push against the pull of gravity. Perhaps such tension could prevent the dense clouds from collapsing and forming more stars.

Samuel Crowe, a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Virginia who co-led the study, said Sagittarius C has turned out to be an important laboratory for testing theories on star formation.

"This discovery opens up new questions about how magnetic fields influence the birth of stars," he said in a statement, "both in our galaxy and beyond."

• Digital Culture
• Life
• Shopping
• Deals
• Science
• Games
• Social Good
• Entertainment

• The 'recession indicator' meme, explained
• Sex addiction isn't recognised by science. So, why are people still being diagnosed?
• Hands on with Stage Manager in Apple's macOS Ventura
• How to have period sex
• SpaceX's BFR has a new name. Elon Musk is calling it Starship.
• Pornhub traffic in Washington DC skyrocketed on election night
• 5 damning revelations from the Uber Files
• 'Gone in the Night' review: Winona Ryder's sci
• Meta continues its submission to Trump with new advisor on its board
• The girl giving her dad the hand in a viral video tells everyone to chill

• Temu goes live in South Africa, expanding its presence to six continents · TechNode
• Volkswagen
• Ant Group plans acquisition of Dutch payments firm MultiSafepay · TechNode
• Huawei may apply self
• China implements real
• Meituan’s KeeTa becomes the second
• Chinese bubble tea chain Heytea enters America · TechNode
• SK Hynix to upgrade Wuxi plant in China · TechNode
• Alibaba appoints six young leaders to oversee key operations at Taobao and Tmall · TechNode
• Honda’s China joint venture lays off 900 contract workers · TechNode

• President Trump says semiconductor tariffs are next
• 'Strange Things 4' Demogorgon fight: Go behind
• 'Stranger Things' fans: Call the Surfer Boy Pizza number for a fun surprise
• Nothing Phone (1) preview: Carl Pei's first Android phone is only average on the inside
• Nintendo Switch 2 release date, price announced
• Nothing's Android smartphone, the Phone (1), debuts without U.S. launch plans
• Very good dog joins Sen. Sherrod Brown on stage for his victory speech
• Most watched TV shows and movies of the week (July 16) on streaming
• 'Severance' puts a spin on the Orpheus and Eurydice myth in its Season 2 finale
• Tesla's head of AI and Autopilot is leaving the company

• Best iPhone deal: Save $147 on the iPhone 15 Pro Max
• Trump said he doesn't know who Lil Jon is, so here are photos of them together
• How to have period sex
• Sims 4 update introduces new sexualities and romantic orientations to players
• How to Secure Your Android Phone and Get the Most Out of Smart Lock
• After the walkouts, Google will change sexual misconduct procedures
• How to start a business: Do these 5 things first
• Beto O'Rourke and Alexandria Ocasio
• Music is the secret weapon of Mario Speedrunners
• Here's why Netflix's 'Man vs Bee' is a TV series and not a film