2024-01-10 14:30:53
Research at the far edge of the M83 galaxy reveals unusual star formation in an extreme environment. This area, outlined in yellow, is shown in data from several different instruments. – CTIO/GALEX/GBT/ALMA
MADRID, 10 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Combined observations from several telescopes have made it possible to explain that the mysterious star formation seen on the outskirts of galaxies is due to the presence of molecular clouds.
Typically, new stars form as a result of the reduction of diffuse atomic gas into concentrations of molecular gas, called molecular clouds, whose high-density nuclei at their centers trigger star formation. This process is common in the inner part of galaxies, but becomes increasingly rare towards the outskirts of galaxies.
The investigation, presented at the 243rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), used several instruments operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), including the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), and the Green Bank Telescope (GBT), along with the Subaru of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX).
A surprising number of very young stars are known to exist at the far edges of many galaxies, but scientists were unable to understand how and why these stars formed, because they could not precisely determine their formation sites. This research discovered 23 molecular clouds that showed a different type of star formation. The large bodies of these clouds were not visible as “normal” molecular clouds, only their dense star-forming cores, the “hearts” of the clouds, were observed. This discovery provides an important clue to understanding the physical processes that lead to star formation in general.
“Star formation at the edges of galaxies has been a persistent mystery since its discovery by NASA’s GALEX satellite 18 years ago,” he said. it’s a statement astronomer Jin Koda of Stony Brook University, who led this research. David Thilker of Johns Hopkins University, who originally discovered star formation activity occurring on the outskirts of M83 and other galaxies, commented: “It has been gratifying to see the search for dense clouds associated with the outer disk finally become a reality. , revealing a characteristically different observational fingerprint for molecular clouds.”
The revelation of these molecular clouds uncovered a link to a large reservoir of diffuse atomic gas, another discovery of this research. Normally, atomic gas condenses into dense molecular clouds, within which even denser nuclei develop and stars form. This process is underway even at the edges of galaxies, but the conversion of this atomic gas into molecular clouds was not evident, for reasons that are not yet resolved.
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