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Astronomers are scratching their heads after the James Webb Space Telescope captured a puzzling cosmic formation.

The European Space Agency has released an image of two young stars forming 1,470 light years away from Earth.

But among the image is an object that looks like a giant cosmic question mark.

Scientists say it's not likely to be a message from the universe but rather a more reasonable explanation.

Eagle-eyed space fans spotted the question mark at the bottom of an image released by Nasa of a pair of actively forming stars known as Herbig-Haro 46/47.

Astronomers say the orange colour of the question mark suggests it could be some galaxies merging in the background of the main image, but there could be other explanations that would need further research to know for sure.

The Space Telescope Science Institute, who lead the science and mission operations for the telescope said:

"It is probably a distant galaxy, or potentially interacting galaxies (their interactions may have caused the distorted question mark-shape),"

Matt Caplan, assistant professor of physics at Illinois University, added to the theory saying: "The two distinct features could easily be merging galaxies in the background, with the upper part of the question mark being part of a larger galaxy getting tidally disrupted."