The James Webb telescope captured a high-resolution image of a tightly bound pair of actively forming stars, known as Herbig-Haro 46/47, in near-infrared light. Look for them at the centre of the red diffraction spikes. The stars are buried deeply, appearing as an orange-white splotch. They are surrounded by a disc of gas and dust that continues to add to their mass. Beneath the breathtaking phenomenon, some viewers noticed a peculiar shape among the backdrop of celestial objects: a glowing question mark (scroll down).

The image quickly went viral on social media, with jokes about its origin ranging from aliens to a glitch in the Matrix. The object’s color indicates it is either very distant ‑ billions of light-years away ‑ or much closer and obscured by dust. The question mark also appears to be made up of at least two distinct bodies: the curve and the dot. A plausible explanation is that the shining question mark represents two galaxies merging. The hooked portion of the shape may be what’s called a tidal tail ‑ a thin, elongated stream of stars and gases that occurs as galaxies interact.