Sub-millimetre image of a stellar cradle

Image of the giant molecular cloud G327 taken with APEX. More than 5000 spectra were taken in the J=3-2 line of the carbon monoxide molecule (CO), one of the best tracers of molecular clouds, in which star formation takes place. The bright peak in the north of the cloud is an evolved star forming region, where the gas is heated by a cluster of new stars. The most interesting region in the image is totally inconspicuous in CO: the G327 hot core, as seen in methanol contours. It is a truly exceptional source, and is one of the richest sources of emission from complex organic molecules in the Galaxy (see spectrum at bottom)

Credit:

ESO

About the Image

Id:eso0531b
Type:Collage
Release date:25 September 2005
Related releases:eso0531
Size:1503 x 1975 px

About the Object

Name:G327.3-0.6
Type:Milky Way : Nebula : Appearance : Dark : Molecular Cloud
Distance:9500 light years
Category:Nebulae
Stars

Image Formats

Large JPEG
546.9 KB
Screensize JPEG
270.2 KB

Colours & filters

BandTelescope
Millimeter
Submillimetre
Atacama Pathfinder Experiment