Hubble Spotted a Cosmic Lightsaber

The two lightsabre-like streams crossing the image are jets of energised gas, ejected from the poles of a young star.

If the jets collide with the surrounding gas and dust they can clear vast spaces, and create curved shock waves, seen as knotted clumps called Herbig-Haro objects.

Credit:
ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Padgett (GSFC), T. Megeath (University of Toledo), and B. Reipurth (University of Hawaii)