A luminous cosmic entity resembling a radiant question mark has unexpectedly appeared in a recent image captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, prompting scientific intrigue about its potential identity.

Originally released on July 26, the near-infrared image showcased a pair of youthful stars designated Herbig-Haro 46/47. These stars, situated 1,470 light-years away within the Vela constellation of the Milky Way galaxy, are actively undergoing formation while engaged in a close orbital relationship.

While these stars have been subject to scrutiny by both space-based and ground telescopes since the 1950s, the exceptional sensitivity of the Webb telescope has unveiled the most intricate and high-resolution depiction to date. Distinguished by its capability to perceive extended wavelengths of light in the universe, the Webb telescope offers a unique perspective.

The enigmatic object in the shape of a question mark hints at the possibility of an interaction between two galaxies, as indicated by experts.

Although the Webb telescope casts illumination on the origins of our cosmos, the appearance of this enigmatic object within the image's backdrop ushers in more queries than answers. The cosmic question mark has yet to undergo extensive examination and investigation, thus leaving scientists with uncertainties about its source and composition.

Some theories, however, have emerged based on the object's contours and position.

Matt Caplan, an assistant professor of physics at Illinois State University, remarked, "The very first thing you can rule out is that it’s a star in the Milky Way. Stars always have these really big spikes, and that’s because stars are point-like." He elaborated that stars' diffraction patterns arise from the structures supporting the central camera. Caplan highlighted that, in contrast, the question mark-shaped phenomenon features multiple prongs, distinct from the spike pattern of stars.

Additionally, it is proposed that the object might signify a merger involving two galaxies situated much farther away than Herbig-Haro 46/47 — potentially billions of light-years distant. Christopher Britt, an education and outreach scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute, underscored that galaxies beyond our Milky Way often engage in collisions as they evolve over cosmic epochs. This interaction can lead to the distortion of galaxies into various shapes, including the intriguing question mark configuration.