Scientists studying masers— naturally occurring lasers that amplify microwave radio emissions— around the massive star MWC 349A discovered a 500 km/s jet of material launching out of the star’s gas disk from within the winds that are flowing away from the star. The bigger surprise is that the jet may be caused by magnetic forces. This artist’s conception shows a zoomed in view of MWC 349A and its surrounding disk of gas and dust that are being shaped by the winds and high-speed jet.
Client
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Project Type
Science visualization
Category
Astrophysics
Credit
ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), Melissa Weiss (NRAO/AUI/NSF)
Often these are the types of sketches I am given as preliminary direction. They are extremely helpful in understanding what the principle investigators are envisioning as they write their papers.
With further discussion, the images evolve to not only visually explain the science but also create a captivating visual to pull the reader into the article.