TORNADOES IN SPACE!

While searching for disks around young stars and brown dwarfs in the Chamaeleon star-forming region, astronomers discovered an object that resembled a giant tornado. The “tornado” is actually a shock front, created by a jet of material flowing downward through the region of interstellar gas and dust. Scientists have speculated that perhaps magnetic fields throughout the region shaped the object. Another view is that as the shock plowed into surrounding material, eddies were created giving the object its tornado-like appearance.

Helpful Hint: While traveling to Planet C, be sure to avoid space tornadoes!

Posted by Ted Zarras at 3:41 PM