The image reveals multiple protostars in the system, including FS Tau A — a pair of protostars that form the largest diffraction spike pattern — and FS Tau B, an orange protostar located slightly right of center . FS Tau B is thought to be responsible for the orange and red outflows that appear as wisps and wide sheets of gas actively shaping the surrounding dusty environment .
The intricate dust and gas structures scatter infrared light, creating a display that NASA compares to fireworks for the nation’s 250th birthday .
Beyond the FS Tau system, the image is filled with numerous distant yellow and white galaxies scattered across the black background of space, bursting into view thanks to Webb’s sensitivity .
The protostars in FS Tau are about 1 to 3 million years old — very young compared to our Sun’s 4.6 billion years . FS Tau A has about half the mass of our Sun . The system lies approximately 390 light-years from Earth in the direction of the Taurus-Auriga molecular clouds .
Because these are low-mass protostars, they disrupt their environment less than higher-mass stars, making FS Tau an ideal laboratory for studying low-mass star formation without the interference seen near more massive stars . This release marks Webb’s fourth year of transforming the understanding of star formation.