ALMA views a stellar explosion in Orion
Stellar explosions are most often associated with supernovae, the spectacular deaths of stars. But new ALMA observations of the Orion Nebula complex provide insights into explosions at the other end of the stellar life cycle, star birth. Astronomers captured these dramatic images of the remains of a 500-year-old explosion as they explored the firework-like debris from the birth of a group of massive stars, demonstrating that star formation can be a violent and explosive process too.
The colours in the ALMA data represent the relative Doppler shifting of the millimetre-wavelength light emitted by carbon monoxide gas. The blue colour in the ALMA data represents gas approaching at the highest speeds; the red colour is from gas moving toward us more slowly.
The background image includes optical and near-infrared imaging from both the Gemini South and ESO Very Large Telescope. The famous Trapezium Cluster of hot young stars appears towards the bottom of this image. The ALMA data do not cover the full image shown here.
Mynd/Myndskeið:ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), J. Bally/H. Drass et al.
Um myndina
Auðkenni: | eso1711a |
Tegund: | Athuganir |
Útgáfudagur: | Apr 7, 2017, 15:00 CEST |
Tengdar fréttatilkynningar: | eso1711 |
Stærð: | 2707 x 2824 px |
Um fyrirbærið
Nafn: | OMC, Orion Molecular Cloud |
Tegund: | Milky Way : Star : Grouping : Cluster : Open |
Fjarlægð: | 1400 ljósár |
Constellation: | Orion |
Flokkur: | Nebulae Star Clusters |
Bakgrunnsmynd
Hnit
Position (RA): | 5 35 14.08 |
Position (Dec): | -5° 22' 2.33" |
Field of view: | 4.02 x 4.20 arcminutes |
Stefna: | Norður er 0.1° højre frá lóðréttu |
Litir og síur
Tíðnisvið | Bylgjulengd | Sjónauki |
---|---|---|
Innrautt Fe II | 1.64 μm | Gemini Observatory GSAOI |
Innrautt J | 1.25 μm | Very Large Telescope ISAAC |
Innrautt H | 1.65 μm | Very Large Telescope ISAAC |
Innrautt H2 | 2.12 μm | Gemini Observatory GSAOI |
Innrautt Ks | 2.2 μm | Very Large Telescope ISAAC |
Millímetri 216-233 GHz | 1.3 mm | Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array Band 6 |