Washington: Scientists have observed the birth of a massive star within a dark cloud core about 10,000 light-years from Earth.
The team used the new ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) telescope in Chile-the most powerful radio telescope in the world-to view the stellar womb which, at 500 times the mass of the Sun and many times more luminous, is the largest ever seen in our galaxy.
The researchers said that their observations reveal how matter is being dragged into the center of the huge gaseous cloud by the gravitational pull of the forming star-or stars-along a number of dense threads or filaments.
"The remarkable observations from ALMA allowed us to get the first really in-depth look at what was going on within this cloud," lead author Dr. Nicolas Peretto, from Cardiff University, said.
"We wanted to see how monster stars form and grow, and we certainly achieved our aim. One of the sources we have found is an absolute giant-the largest protostellar core ever spotted in the Milky Way!
"Even though we already believed that the region was a good candidate for being a massive star-forming cloud, we were not expecting to find such a massive embryonic star at its center. This cloud is expected to form at least one star 100 times more massive than the Sun and up to a million times brighter. Only about one in 10,000 of all the stars in the Milky Way reach that kind of mass," he said.
Different theories exist as to how these massive stars form but the team`s findings lend weight to the idea that the entire cloud core begins to collapse inwards, with material raining in towards the center to form one or more massive stars.
The findings are set to be published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
ANI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.