NASA telescope has spotted a cosmic question mark in the deep space

A glowing question mark-shaped object has appeared in a recent image taken by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. The image, released on July 26, captured a pair of young stars known as Herbig-Haro 46/47. These stars, located 1,470 light-years away in the Vela constellation within the Milky Way galaxy, are in the early stages of formation and are orbiting each other closely.

The Webb telescope, with its ability to observe longer wavelengths of light, provided the highest-resolution and most detailed image of the stars to date. However, the presence of the mysterious question mark-shaped object in the background raises more questions than answers. Scientists have not closely studied or observed this cosmic object, making it difficult to determine its origins and composition. Based on its shape and location, scientists have ruled out the possibility of it being a star within the Milky Way.

Stars typically exhibit large spikes in their appearance due to diffraction caused by the edges of mirrors and camera supports. The question mark-shaped object lacks these spikes, indicating that it is not a star. It is speculated that the object could be a result of the merger of two galaxies, which are likely billions of light-years away and much farther than Herbig-Haro 46/47. Galaxies frequently collide with their neighboring galaxies during their evolution, resulting in distorted shapes, including question mark-like formations. While this specific object is believed to be a first-time observation, the merging of galaxies into question mark shapes has been observed before. For example, the Antennae Galaxies in the Corvus constellation formed a backward version of this shape.

Most galaxies have experienced multiple interactions like this throughout their history, although these shapes are not long-lasting. Due to the dynamic nature of space, it is challenging to determine definitive answers. The movement of the sun as it orbits the galaxy, along with the gravitational forces acting on the stars within the galaxy, make it difficult to pinpoint specific details. The future integration of our Milky Way galaxy with the Andromeda galaxy in approximately 4 billion years is an example of this dynamic process, but the resulting shape is unknown.