On October 12, 2024, astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope made significant observations of centaurs, intriguing celestial objects located between Jupiter and Neptune.
Due to their extremely cold nature, centaurs preserve information about volatile materials from the early solar system. Many of these bodies have been influenced by planetary gravity, eventually transitioning into short-period comets over millions of years, providing valuable opportunities for scientific discovery.
Inspired by the half-human, half-horse creatures from ancient Greek mythology, centaurs are distant objects that orbit the Sun. The first centaur was discovered in 1970.
The high-resolution imaging from the telescope led to the identification of previously unknown gas jets, aiding in the sorting of theories regarding the formation of centaurs and planets. This discovery offers new insights into the deeper study of theories surrounding the formation of the solar system.