Pressemeddelelse
Nyt portræt af Omegatågens glitrende vandfarver
7. juli 2009
Omegatågen, en fødeklinik for stjerner, hvor unge stjerner oplyser og former et stort pastelfarvet drømmebillede af støv og gas, bliver afsløret i al sin pragt på et nyt ESO-billede.
Omegatågen, der undertiden kaldes Svanetågen, er en imponerende fødeklinik for stjerner. Den ligger omkring 5.500 lysår væk i retning mod stjernebilledet Sagittarius (Skytten). Som et aktivt stjernedannende område af gas og støv, der er omkring 15 lysår på tværs, har tågen for nyligt dannet en hob af tunge, varme stjerner. Det intense lys og de kraftige vinde fra disse spæde stjerner, har formet bemærkelsesværdige trådagtige strukturer i gassen og støvet.
Når tågen ses gennem en lille kikkert, har den en form, der minder nogle observatører om det sidste bogstav i det græske alfabet, omega, mens andre ser en svane med sin karakteristiske lange krumme hals. Andre kælenavne til dette kosmiske vartegn omfatter Hesteskoen og Hummertågen.
Den schweiziske astronom Jean Philippe Loys de Cheseaux opdagede tågen omkring 1745. Den franske kometjæger Charles Messier genopdagede den uafhængigt omkring tyve år senere, og tog den med som nummer 17 i sit berømte katalog. I en lille kikkert ses Omegatågen som en gådefuld spøgelsesagtig bjælke af lys set imod Mælkevejens stjernefelter. Tidlige observatører var usikre på, om denne kuriositet i virkeligheden var en sky af gas eller en fjern stjernehob, der er for lyssvag til at blive opløst i enkeltstjerner. I 1866 lukkede William Huggins debatten, da han bekræftede, at Omegatågen er en sky af glødende gas. Det gjorde han ved at anvende et nyt instrument, en astronomisk spektrograf.
I de seneste år har astronomer fundet ud af, at Omegatågen er en af de yngste og tungeste stjernedannende områder i Mælkevejen. Aktiv stjernedannelse startede for nogle få millioner år siden og fortsætter den dag i dag. Den klart lysende gas som er vist i dette billede er blot en boble, der bryder ud fra siden af en meget større mørk sky af molekylær gas. Støvet, der er så fremtrædende i dette billede, stammer fra resterne af tunge, varme stjerner, der har afsluttet deres korte liv og slynget materiale tilbage i rummet, såvel som de kosmiske affaldsprodukter, som fremtidige sole dannes af.
Det nye billede er taget med EMMI-instrumentet, der er monteret på ESO 3,58 meter New Technology Telescope (NTT) på La Silla i Chile. Billedet viser den centrale del af Omegatågen i udsøgt detalje. I 2000 tog et andet instrument på NTT, kaldet SOFI, et andet storslået billede af tågen (ESO Presse Foto 24a/00) i nær-infrarødt lys, der giver astronomer mulighed for at se gennem det slørende støv, og billedet viser tydeligt mange stjerner, der tidligere var skjult. NASA/ESA Hubble-rumteleskopet har også lavet meget skarpe optagelser af små dele af denne tåge (heic0305a og heic0206d).
På venstre side af billedet ses en stor og underligt kasseformet sky af støv, der dækker den glødende gas. Den fascinerende palet af subtile farvenuancer henover billedet kommer af tilstedeværelsen af forskellige gasser (primært brint, men også ilt, kvælstof og svovl), der er gløder på grund af påvirkningen fra det barske ultraviolette lys, som udstråles fra de varme, unge stjerner.
Mere information
ESO, det Europæiske Syd Observatorium, er den mest fremtrædende internationale astronomi-organisation i Europa og verdens mest produktive astronomiske observatorium. ESO har i dag følgende 14 medlemslande: Belgien, Danmark, Finland, Frankrig, Holland, Italien, Portugal, Schweiz og Storbritannien, Spanien, Sverige, Tjekkiet, Tyskland og Østrig. Flere lande har udtrykt interesse i medlemskab. ESO’s aktiviteter er fokuseret på design, konstruktion og drift af jordbaserede observationsfaciliteter for astronomi for at muliggøre vigtige videnskabelige opdagelser. ESO spiller også en ledende rolle for at fremme og organisere samarbejdet inden for astronomisk forskning. I Chile driver ESO tre unikke observatorier i verdensklasse: La Silla, Paranal og Chajnantor. På Paranal driver ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT), der er verdens mest avancerede astronomiske observatorium til observationer i synligt lys. ESO er den europæiske partner i et revolutionerede astronomisk teleskop kaldet ALMA, det største igangværende astronomiske projekt. ESO planlægger i øjeblikket et 42 meter optisk/nær-infrarødt teleskop kaldet European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), der vil blive ”verdens største øje mod himlen”.
Kontakter
Henri Boffin
ESO
Garching, Germany
Tel: +49 89 3200 6222
E-mail: hboffin@eso.org
Ole J. Knudsen (Pressekontakt Danmark)
ESOs formidlingsnetværk
og Aarhus Space Centre, Aarhus Universitet
Aarhus, Danmark
Tel: +45 8715 5597
E-mail: eson-denmark@eso.org
Om pressemeddelelsen
| Pressemeddelelse nr.: | eso0925da |
| Legacy ID: | PR 25/09 |
| Navn: | Omega Nebula, Swan Nebula |
| Type: | Milky Way : Nebula : Type : Star Formation Milky Way : Nebula : Appearance : Emission |
| Facility: | New Technology Telescope |
| Instruments: | EMMI |
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