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The HH212 molecular jet

Image Credit: Chin-Fei Lee et al.

The HH212 molecular jet imaged with the SMA superposed on the H2 image (blue) adopted from McCaughrean et al. (2002). Left: C18O in red and 13CO in green. Right: SO in red and 12CO in green (Lee et al. 2006, ApJ, 639, 292).

HH 212 was first discovered as a highly collimated jet in H2 (molecular hydrogen) powered by a very young protostar, IRAS 05413-0104, in the cloud of Orion at a distance of 460 pc (1500 light years). The image observed with the SMA further reveals an envelope surrounding the source flattened in the direction perpendicular to the jet axis (red image in the left panel of Figure 1). The envelope seems to be infalling toward the source with slow rotation preserving specific angular momentum. A 12CO outflow (green image in the right panel of Figure 1), is seen surrounding the H2 jet, with a narrow waist around the source. The morphological relationship between the jet and the outflow suggests the jet is driving the outflow. The H2 knots in the north and south, are tracing shocked emission along the jet and around them.