Pressemeddelelse
En lomme af stjernedannelse
1. februar 2012
Dette nye billede viser en stjernefødeklinik kaldet NGC 3324. Det er blevet optaget med Wide Field Imager på MPG/ESO 2,2 meter teleskopet på La Silla-observatoriet i Chile. Den intense ultraviolette stråling fra flere af NGC 3324’s varme unge stjerner får gasskyen til at gløde i flotte farver og har skabt et hulrum i de omkringliggende skyer af gas og støv.
NGC 3324 ligger i det sydlige stjernebillede Carina (Kølen, en del af Jasons skib, Argo) omkring 7500 lysår fra Jorden. Det er i den nordlige udkant af Carina-tågens kaotiske miljø, der er blevet formet af mange andre lommer af stjernedannelse (eso0905). En rig forekomst af gas og støv i området omkring NGC 3324 har for flere millioner år siden næret et udbrud af stjernfødsel. Det har skabt flere heftige og meget varme stjerner, der er fremtrædende i det nye billede.
Stjernevinde og intens stråling fra disse unge stjerner har blæst en fordybning i de omkringliggende skyer af gas og støv. Det ses tydeligst som den mur af materiale i midten til højre i billedet. Den ultraviolette stråling fra de varme unge stjerner slår elektroner ud af brintatomer, som så bliver indfanget igen. Det fører til en karakteristisk blodrød glød, når elektronerne gennemløber energiniveauerne og viser omfanget af den lokale, diffuse gas. Andre farver kommer fra andre grundstoffer. Fx får den karakteristiske glød fra dobbelt-ioniseret ilt de centrale dele til at se grøngule ud.
Ligesom med skyer på Jordens himmel, kan observatører af stjernetåger finde former i de kosmiske skyer. Et kælenavn for NGC 3324 er Gabriela Mistral-tågen, efter en Nobelprisvindende chilenske digter [1]. Kanten af muren af gas og støv til højre har en stor lighed med et menneskeligt ansigt i profil med ”bulen” i midten, som en næse.
Det kraftige Wide Field Imager på MPG/ESO 2,2 teleskopet på ESO’s La Silla-observatoriet har også afsløret mange mørke sider af NGC 3324. Støvkorn i disse områder blokerer for lyset fra det bagvedliggende glødende gas og skaber trådagtige skygger, der giver billedet yderligere en stemningsfuld dimension.
Tidligere har Rumteleskopet Hubble også haft sit skarpe syn rettet mod NGC 3324. Hubble kan se meget finere detaljer end Wide Field Imager’s vidvinkel-syn, men kun over et meget mindre synsfelt. De to instrumenter kan, når de anvendes sammen, give mulighed for både at ”zoome ind” og ”zoome ud”.
Noter
[1] Yderligere forklaring og sammenligning af billeder kan ses på amatørastronomen Daniel Verschatse’s hjemmeside: http://www.verschatse.cl/nebulae/ngc3324/medium.htm.
Mere information
I år 2012 er der 50-års jubilæum for grundlæggelsen af det Europæiske Syd Observatorium (ESO). ESO er den mest fremtrædende internationale astronomi-organisation i Europa og verdens mest produktive astronomiske observatorium. ESO har i dag følgende 15 medlemslande: Belgien, Brasilien, Danmark, Finland, Frankrig, Holland, Italien, Portugal, Schweiz og Storbritannien, Spanien, Sverige, Tjekkiet, Tyskland og Østrig. ESO’s aktiviteter er fokuseret på design, konstruktion og drift af jordbaserede observationsfaciliteter for at muliggøre vigtige videnskabelige opdagelser inden for astronomi. 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 samt to kortlægningsteleskoper. VISTA arbejder i infrarødt lys og er verdens største kortlægningsteleskop, mens VLT Survey Telescope (VST) er det største teleskop, der udelukkende er bygget til at kortlægge himlen 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 40 meter optisk/nær-infrarødt teleskop kaldet European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), der vil blive ”verdens største øje mod himlen”.
Links
Kontakter
Richard Hook
ESO, La Silla, Paranal, E-ELT and Survey Telescopes Public Information Officer
Garching bei München, Germany
Tel: +49 89 3200 6655
Mobil: +49 151 1537 3591
E-mail: rhook@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.: | eso1207da |
| Navn: | Eta Carinae, NGC 3324 |
| Type: | Milky Way : Nebula |
| Facility: | MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope |
| Instruments: | WFI |
Billeder
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Videoer
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