Ellie Zolfagharifard
Daily Mail
August 30, 2013
A stellar ‘caterpillar’ in the midst of a metamorphosis has been spotted by astronomers.
The light-year-long cosmic squiggle is currently collecting material from an envelope of gas surrounding it.
Astronomers are now keen to see what will emerge from the protostar, which is in a very early evolutionary stage.
A previous study has called the object, which lies 4,500 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus, a ‘tadpole in an interstellar pond.’
Harsh winds from extremely bright stars are blasting ultraviolet radiation at this ‘wanna-be’ star, named IRAS 20324+4057, and sculpting the gas and dust into its long shape.
The culprits are 65 of the hottest, brightest known stars, classified as O-type stars, located 15 light-years away from the knot, towards the right edge of the image.