Published 11:08 IST, July 4th 2020
Cosmic 'fireworks' in star cluster observed in distant galaxy by scientists; See pics
Using two instruments, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) scientists observed cosmic phenomenon among stars.
Advertisement
Astronomers have caught a brilliant fireworks-like "streamers" of gas observed at early stages during the formation of a star in the giant cluster. In two separate studies published in The Astrophysical Journal, the cosmic activity in the star cluster formally known as G286.21+0.17 was captured on a high-powered telescope array which takes a million years to complete.
Using two instruments, the Hubble Space Telescope, which recorded the existing stars in the cluster, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), which gave the observation of the gases falling inward to form future stars, scientists in Chile caught the phenomenal colourful purple burst of gases in a distant galaxy. Hubble’s near-infrared Wide Field Camera 3 pierced through the dusty veil shrouding the stellar mass, giving astronomers a clear view of the nebula and the dense concentration of stars in the central cluster.
Advertisement
Co-author of the published study, Jonathan Tan of Chalmers University in Sweden and the University of Virginia, said in a statement, “This illustrates how dynamic and chaotic the process of star birth is.” Further, he added, "We see competing forces in action: gravity and turbulence from the cloud on one side, and stellar winds and radiation pressure from the young stars on the other."
Basis the speed of the star cluster in its movement towards the sun, and while the cluster is about 8,000 light-years away from Earth, the colour of the fireworks is determined, according to the study. For instance, the pinker purples depicts slower speed of the moving gas, while bluer purples represent faster-moving gas. Over 750 different photographs from ALMA were compiled by the scientists to create the final picture of the mystical fireworks. Tan was quoted saying, the process sculpted the region, and “it is amazing to think that our own sun and planets were once part of such a cosmic dance”.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Eruptions of star formation
In another research, Astronomers with the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, part of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab, dug up the archives to find previous images of cosmic fireworks in the galaxy NGC 925. "If you're looking for fireworks for the US celebration of the Fourth of July, then look no further than the world of astronomy," researchers wrote in a statement at the NOIR lab’s website. "The cosmic firework at the center of this image, the spiral galaxy NGC 925, resembles a vast pinwheel, with a bright central bar and swirling spiral arms. The red bursts strewn throughout NGC 925 are eruptions of star formation, which can be traced by observing conspicuous hydrogen-alpha emission,” it added.
The lab explained that Unlike the camera in your phone, astronomical cameras can usually only capture one colour at a time. Therefore, despite the diverse array of astronomical objects captured in this single image, the snapshots represented only a tiny portion of the full cosmic fireworks display visible in the night sky.
Advertisement
(All Images Credit: National Radio Astronomy Observatory/ NASA)
11:08 IST, July 4th 2020