# @europeanspaceagency on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DF1Eeccs8oj
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/35582194-europeanspaceagency-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/28fec05363.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-02-08T22:50:00.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** J.L.Lopez (@xandler80) — https://gondola.cc/xandler80

## Caption

A planet-forming laboratory in action! ✨

Meet HH 30, a fascinating protoplanetary disc captured in unprecedented detail by esawebb! This stunning new picture takes us deep into the Taurus Molecular Cloud, where baby stars are being born.

What’s happening here?
HH 30 is a Herbig-Haro object—a bright region surrounding a newborn star (protostar). As the star forms, it ejects jets of gas that collide with surrounding material, creating shockwaves and dazzling light displays!

Why is HH 30 special?
It’s the prototype of an edge-on protoplanetary disc, meaning we see it perfectly from the side—like a cosmic frisbee! This unique perspective helps astronomers study how tiny dust grains evolve into planets.

Multi-wavelength magic!
By combining observations from Webb, hubbleesa, and alma.observatory, scientists can see:
- ALMA (radio waves): Large dust grains concentrated in a thin layer.
- Webb (infrared): Small dust grains scattered throughout.
- Hubble (visible light): Striking outflows and jets.

Why does this matter?
Understanding how dust settles and clumps together is key to understanding planet formation. In HH 30, tiny grains start to stick together, forming pebbles… and eventually, new worlds!

Swipe through the images to see this cosmic masterpiece in different wavelengths!

📸 europeanspaceagency / Webb, NASA & canadianspaceagency, Tazaki et al.; creativecommons CC BY 4.0
📸 ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, ESA/Hubble, ALMA (esoastronomy/naoj_pr/thenrao)

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 30,118
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 90

## Credits

These are the roles credited on Gondola. Credits may be incomplete.
A brand, account owner, or featured person is not necessarily the creator.

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ESA - European Space Agency | @europeanspaceagency | https://gondola.cc/europeanspaceagency | Government Organization |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Producer |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Editor |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Social Media Manager |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Publisher |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Copywriter |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Community Manager |

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