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       Herbig-Haro objects were given their 
        name when George Herbig and Guillermo Haro discovered them (independently) 
        about 50 years ago. They are compact nebulae that exhibit a particular 
        spectra near dark clouds. They are now thought to be shock-excited nebulae 
        formed when young stars eject jets of material back into interstellar 
        space, smashing into nearby interstellar gas. Herbig-Haro objects are 
        found near carbon monoxide (CO) outflows, also a product of star formation 
        that occurs as a result of mass loss. They can move through the surrounding 
        interstellar gas at speeds of up to hundreds of kilometers per second. 
        Located in the Orion Nebula, Herbig-Haro 222 consists of many large arcs, 
        also known as streamers. All of the streamers come from the same point 
        southeast of the T Tauri star V571 Orionis, in a region of L1641, a region 
        that is rich in star formation. These streamers are found in the presence 
        of many newly-born, low mass stars. This suggests that a young, low-luminosity 
        star is at the core of the streamers. Note two bow-shock features placed 
        symmetrically with respect to the jet which is emerging from a young star 
        close to the center of the image. This jet and the two bow shocks are 
        also classified as Herbig Haro objects.  
        (Courtesy of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope).  
        References: 
        http://www.astroscu.unam.mx/scu/hh32hst.html 
        Animation of Contrast  
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              Object | 
             
              Distance from Earth | 
             
              Wavelength | 
           
           
            
              Herbig-Haro 222 | 
             
               1,500 
                light years  | 
             
               Optical  | 
           
         
        
       
      
      Click Image to Enlarge |