Rastreio mostra aos astrónomos "uma meia de leite" que dá que pensar
Criar uma estrela é um trabalho difícil e o processo não é muito eficiente. O nosso conhecimento atual sobre este processo sugere que uma maternidade estelar deve ter uma densidade mínima de gás e poeira para que uma estrela se possa formar. Apenas 1 a 2% de todo o gás e poeira existente nestas nuvens moleculares é que é utilizado para dar origem a uma estrela. Mas poderão regiões mais densas ser mais eficientes a formar estrelas?
Nesta Fotografia da Semana vemos GAL316, uma das muitas maternidades estelares que uma equipa de astrónomos observou para responder a esta questão. Esta região foi observada no âmbito dum rastreio chamado CAFFEINE — a melhor amiga dos astrónomos — levado a cabo com o auxílio da câmara ArTéMiS montada no APEX (Atacama Pathfinder Experiment), um radiotelescópio instalado no planalto do Chajnantor, no Chile. Agora operado pelo Instituto Max Planck de Radioastronomia, Alemanha, este telescópio captura o ténue brilho emitido pelas nuvens de gás frio, o qual vemos nesta imagem como um brilho azul sobreposto a um fundo de estrelas capturado pelo telescópio VISTA do ESO.
Os resultados deste estudo mostram que, ao contrário dos astrónomos que se tornam mais eficientes quando ingerem cafeína, as regiões mais densas observadas no rastreio CAFFEINE não parecem ficar mais eficientes na formação de estrelas do que qualquer outra maternidade estelar com uma densidade acima da densidade mínima.
Créditos:ESO/M. Mattern, P. André et al. Background: VVV
Sobre a imagem
| Id: | potw2601a |
| Língua: | pt |
| Tipo: | Observação |
| Data de divulgação: | 5 de Janeiro de 2026 às 06:00 |
| Tamanho: | 652 x 701 px |
Sobre o objeto
| Nome: | GAL316 |
| Tipo: | Milky Way : Nebula : Type : Star Formation |
Formatos de imagens
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