LDN 1471: A Windblown Star Cavity
What is the cause of this unusual parabolic structure? This illuminated cavity, known as LDN 1471 , was created by a newly forming star , seen as the bright source at the peak of the parabola . This protostar is experiencing a stellar outflow which is then interacting with the surrounding material in the Perseus Molecular Cloud , causing it to brighten. We see only one side of the cavity -- the other side is hidden by dark dust . The parabolic shape is caused by the widening of the stellar-wind blown cavity over time. Two additional structures can also be seen either side of the protostar , these are known as Herbig-Haro object s, again caused by the interaction of the outflow with the surrounding material. What causes the striations on the cavity walls, though, remains unknown . The featured image was taken by NASA and ESA's Hubble Space Telescope after an original detection by the Spitzer Space Telescope .