... JPL-Caltech , NASA Explanation: Light-years in length, this cosmic tornado is actually a powerful jet cataloged as HH (Herbig-Haro) 49/50 blasting down from the top of a Spitzer Space Telescope view . Though such energetic outflows are well known to be associated with the formation of young stars , the exact cause of the spiraling structures apparent in this case is still mysterious. ... Publications with keywords: young stars - star formation - Herbig-Haro object - molecular cloud - jet . ...