Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to Natural Hazards Forum. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Astronomers stunned by star 'nursery' age find
Topic Started: 28 Jul 2017, 12:38 AM (53 Views)
skibboy
Member Avatar

27 July 2017

Astronomers stunned by star 'nursery' age find

Posted Image
© European Southern Observatory/AFP/File | Scientists previously believed all stars in young nebulae formed simultaneously

PARIS (AFP) - Surprised astronomers have found stars of three different ages in a stellar "nursery" in the Milky Way, throwing into question the scientific consensus on how stars are formed.

The European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope in Chile spotted three distinct groups of baby stars in the Orion nebula -- the closest star "factory" to Earth, a team reported Thursday.

"Looking at the data for the first time was one of those 'Wow!' moments that happen only once or twice in an astronomer's lifetime," ESO astronomer Giacomo Beccari said in a statement.

The images reveal "without any doubt that we are seeing three distinct populations of stars in the central parts of Orion."

Previously, it was thought that all stars in a young nebulae were formed simultaneously.

Now it appears that star birth happens in bursts, "and more quickly than had been previously thought," said the team.

Based on the brightness and colour of the stars in the Orion nebula, the team determined that three different groups of stars were born within a span of three million years.

Nebulas are massive clouds of gas and dust where stars originate.

The best known to us is the Orion nebula some 1,350 light years from Earth.

It is visible with the naked eye as the brightest spot around the "belt" of the Orion constellation.

Source: Posted Image .com
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · Astronomy & Space · Next Topic »
Add Reply

Skin by OverTheBelow