Webb Telescope Captures Stunning “Lightsaber” Jet from Massive Newborn Star
September 11, 2025 – In a remarkable discovery, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured an image of a colossal jet of gas erupting from a newly forming star on the fringes of the Milky Way galaxy. The jet, stretching an astounding 8 light-years – twice the distance to our nearest star system, Alpha Centauri – resembles the iconic double-bladed lightsaber from the Star Wars films.
The observation, detailed in a paper published today in The Astrophysical Journal, reveals a rare and powerful phenomenon occurring within the Sharpless 2-284 (Sh2-284) nebula, approximately 15,000 light-years from Earth. NASA announced the findings in a press release yesterday, highlighting the jet’s unusual size and intensity.”This is a spectacular ‘birth cry’ from a star announcing its arrival,” explains the research team. The jet is propelled by a protostar – a star in its earliest stages of development – with a mass ten times that of our
