Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Astronomers Finally See the Twisted Magnetic Fields That Drive Protostar Jets

This artist's illustration shows the twisted magnetic fields from a young protostar, which shape and propel the jets of gas emitted by the star. Decades ago, astrophysicists predicted that these twisted magnetic fields were responsible for launching and shaping these jets, now thanks to ALMA, they've detected them. Image Credit: NSF/AUI/NSF NRAO/M. Weiss

For decades, scientists have theorized that young protostar jets are shaped and driven by complex, twisted magnetic fields. But they couldn't detect them. Now, thanks to ALMA, they've found them around a young binary protostar.



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