These
two panels show the Snake nebula as photographed by the Spitzer and
Herschel space telescopes. At mid-infrared wavelengths (the upper panel
taken by Spitzer), the thick nebular material blocks light from more
distant stars. At far-infrared wavelengths, however (the lower panel
taken by Herschel), the nebula glows due to emission from cold dust. The
two boxed regions, P1 and P6, were examined in more detail by the
Submillimeter Array (SMA).Spitzer/GLIMPSE/MIPS, Herschel/HiGal, Ke Wang (ESO). High Resolution (jpg) - Low Resolution (jpg)
These photos focus on the P1 star-forming region within the Snake nebula. The left panel shows a far-infrared view from the Herschel space telescope. Submillimeter views from the SMA are at center and right. The sensitive, high-resolution SMA images reveal small cosmic "seeds" spanning less than a tenth of a light-year, which will form one or a few massive stars.
Herschel/EPoS, Sarah Ragan (MPIA); SMA, Ke Wang (ESO). High Resolution (jpg) - Low Resolution (jpg)
Cambridge, MA -New
images from the Smithsonian's Submillimeter Array (SMA) telescope
provide the most detailed view yet of stellar nurseries within the Snake
nebula. These images offer new insights into how cosmic seeds can grow
into massive stars.
Stretching across almost 100 light-years of space, the Snake nebula
is located about 11,700 light-years from Earth in the direction of the
constellation Ophiuchus. In images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope
it appears as a sinuous, dark tendril against the starry background. It
was targeted because it shows the potential to form many massive stars
(stars heavier than 8 times our Sun).
"To learn how stars form, we have to catch them in their earliest phases, while they're still deeply embedded in clouds of gas and dust, and the SMA is an excellent telescope to do so," explained lead author Ke Wang of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), who started the research as a predoctoral fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA).
The team studied two specific spots within the Snake nebula, designated P1 and P6. Within those two regions they detected a total of 23 cosmic "seeds" - faintly glowing spots that will eventually birth one or a few stars. The seeds generally weigh between 5 and 25 times the mass of the Sun, and each spans only a few thousand astronomical units (the average Earth-Sun distance). The sensitive, high-resolution SMA images not only unveil the small seeds, but also differentiate them in age.
Previous theories proposed that high-mass stars form within very massive, isolated "cores" weighing at least 100 times the mass of the Sun. These new results show that that is not the case. The data also demonstrate that massive stars aren't born alone but in groups.
"High-mass stars form in villages," said co-author Qizhou Zhang of the CfA. "It's a family affair."
The team also was surprised to find that these two nebular patches had fragmented into individual star seeds so early in the star formation process.
They detected bipolar outflows and other signs of active, ongoing star formation. Eventually, the Snake nebula will dissolve and shine as a chain of several star clusters.
These results will be published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The paper is available online.
"To learn how stars form, we have to catch them in their earliest phases, while they're still deeply embedded in clouds of gas and dust, and the SMA is an excellent telescope to do so," explained lead author Ke Wang of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), who started the research as a predoctoral fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA).
The team studied two specific spots within the Snake nebula, designated P1 and P6. Within those two regions they detected a total of 23 cosmic "seeds" - faintly glowing spots that will eventually birth one or a few stars. The seeds generally weigh between 5 and 25 times the mass of the Sun, and each spans only a few thousand astronomical units (the average Earth-Sun distance). The sensitive, high-resolution SMA images not only unveil the small seeds, but also differentiate them in age.
Previous theories proposed that high-mass stars form within very massive, isolated "cores" weighing at least 100 times the mass of the Sun. These new results show that that is not the case. The data also demonstrate that massive stars aren't born alone but in groups.
"High-mass stars form in villages," said co-author Qizhou Zhang of the CfA. "It's a family affair."
The team also was surprised to find that these two nebular patches had fragmented into individual star seeds so early in the star formation process.
They detected bipolar outflows and other signs of active, ongoing star formation. Eventually, the Snake nebula will dissolve and shine as a chain of several star clusters.
These results will be published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The paper is available online.
Headquartered
in Cambridge, Mass., the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
(CfA) is a joint collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical
Observatory and the Harvard College Observatory. CfA scientists,
organized into six research divisions, study the origin, evolution and
ultimate fate of the universe.
For more information, contact:
David A. Aguilar
Director of Public Affairs
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
617-495-7462
daguilar@cfa.harvard.edu
Christine Pulliam
Public Affairs Specialist
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
617-495-7463
cpulliam@cfa.harvard.edu
David A. Aguilar
Director of Public Affairs
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
617-495-7462
daguilar@cfa.harvard.edu
Christine Pulliam
Public Affairs Specialist
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
617-495-7463
cpulliam@cfa.harvard.edu
