Andrew Yee[_1_]
January 8th 07, 11:55 PM
ESA News
http://www.esa.int
8 Jan 2007
New stars shed light on the past
A new image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows N90, one of the
star-forming regions in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The rich populations of
infant stars found here enable astronomers to examine star forming processes
in an environment that is very different from that in our own Milky Way.
This new image taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys onboard the
NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope depicts bright blue newly formed stars that
are blowing a cavity in the centre of a fascinating star-forming region
known as N90.
N90 is located in the wing of the Small Magellanic Cloud, in the
constellation of Tucana, approximately 200,000 light-years away from the
Earth. Its proximity makes it an exceptional laboratory to perform in-depth
studies of star formation processes and their evolution in an environment
close to that in the early Universe. Dwarf galaxies such as the Small
Magellanic Cloud, with small numbers of stars compared to our own Milky Way,
are considered to be the primitive building blocks of larger galaxies. The
study of star formation within this dwarf galaxy is particularly interesting
to astronomers because its primitive nature means that it lacks a large
percentage of the heavier elements that are forged in successive generations
of stars through nuclear fusion.
The high energy radiation blazing out from the hot young stars in N90 is
eroding the outer portions of the nebula from the inside, as the diffuse
outer reaches of the nebula prevent the energetic outflows from streaming
away from the cluster directly. Because N90 is located far from the central
body of the Small Magellanic Cloud, numerous background galaxies in this
picture can be seen, delivering a grand backdrop for the stellar newcomers.
The dust in the region gives these distant galaxies a reddish-brown tint.
Hubble has often been used to observe star birth regions, but they are
rarely as stunning and fascinating as N90. At the heart of N90 lies NGC 602,
a relatively isolated star cluster whose environment is a close analogue to
what existed in the early Universe. The existence of dark clouds of dense
dust and the cluster being rich in ionized gas suggest the presence of
ongoing star formation processes.
Ridges of dust and gaseous filaments are seen towards north-west (in the
upper left part of the image) and towards south-east (in the lower right
hand corner). Magnificent elephant trunk-like dust pillars point towards the
hot blue stars and are tell-tale signs of their eroding effect.
An international team of astronomers, led by Antonella Nota of the European
Space Agency and the Space Telescope Science Institute in the US, has
discovered a population of small newborn stars scattered across the picture.
Observable around the bright blue stars at the centre of the image, these
stars have caught astronomers' attention because they are still forming from
gravitationally collapsing gas clouds. Furthermore, they have not yet
contracted to the point where their cores are hot enough to begin converting
hydrogen into helium.
In this region it is possible with Hubble to trace how the star formation
started at the centre of the cluster and propagated outwards, with the
youngest stars still forming today along the dust ridges.
This image was presented by Lynn Redding Carlson, Johns Hopkins University,
at the 2007 January meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle.
Notes for editors:
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between
ESA and NASA.
The other science team members are: L. Carlson (JHU), M. Sirianni
(STScI/ESA), E. Sabbi (STScI), M. Tosi (INAF - Bologna Observatory), J.S.
Gallagher (Univ. of Wisconsin), M. Meixner (STScI), M. Clampin (GSFC), S.
Oey (Univ. of Michigan), A. Pasquali (MPIAE), L. Smith (STScI/Univ. College
London), and R. Walterbos (New Mexico State Univ.).
Image credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team
(STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration
Acknowledgement: A. Nota (ESA/STScI) and L. Carlson (JHU)
Links:
* NASA's photo release
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2007/04
Contacts:
Antonella Nota
ESA/Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, USA
Tel: +1-410-338-4520
E-mail:
Lynn Redding Carlson
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
Tel: +1-410-338-3014
E-mail:
Lars Lindberg Christensen
Hubble/ESA, Garching, Germany
Tel: +49-(0)89-3200-6306
Cellular: +49-(0)173-3872-621
E-mail:
Ray Villard
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, USA
Tel: +1-410-338-4514
http://www.esa.int
8 Jan 2007
New stars shed light on the past
A new image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows N90, one of the
star-forming regions in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The rich populations of
infant stars found here enable astronomers to examine star forming processes
in an environment that is very different from that in our own Milky Way.
This new image taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys onboard the
NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope depicts bright blue newly formed stars that
are blowing a cavity in the centre of a fascinating star-forming region
known as N90.
N90 is located in the wing of the Small Magellanic Cloud, in the
constellation of Tucana, approximately 200,000 light-years away from the
Earth. Its proximity makes it an exceptional laboratory to perform in-depth
studies of star formation processes and their evolution in an environment
close to that in the early Universe. Dwarf galaxies such as the Small
Magellanic Cloud, with small numbers of stars compared to our own Milky Way,
are considered to be the primitive building blocks of larger galaxies. The
study of star formation within this dwarf galaxy is particularly interesting
to astronomers because its primitive nature means that it lacks a large
percentage of the heavier elements that are forged in successive generations
of stars through nuclear fusion.
The high energy radiation blazing out from the hot young stars in N90 is
eroding the outer portions of the nebula from the inside, as the diffuse
outer reaches of the nebula prevent the energetic outflows from streaming
away from the cluster directly. Because N90 is located far from the central
body of the Small Magellanic Cloud, numerous background galaxies in this
picture can be seen, delivering a grand backdrop for the stellar newcomers.
The dust in the region gives these distant galaxies a reddish-brown tint.
Hubble has often been used to observe star birth regions, but they are
rarely as stunning and fascinating as N90. At the heart of N90 lies NGC 602,
a relatively isolated star cluster whose environment is a close analogue to
what existed in the early Universe. The existence of dark clouds of dense
dust and the cluster being rich in ionized gas suggest the presence of
ongoing star formation processes.
Ridges of dust and gaseous filaments are seen towards north-west (in the
upper left part of the image) and towards south-east (in the lower right
hand corner). Magnificent elephant trunk-like dust pillars point towards the
hot blue stars and are tell-tale signs of their eroding effect.
An international team of astronomers, led by Antonella Nota of the European
Space Agency and the Space Telescope Science Institute in the US, has
discovered a population of small newborn stars scattered across the picture.
Observable around the bright blue stars at the centre of the image, these
stars have caught astronomers' attention because they are still forming from
gravitationally collapsing gas clouds. Furthermore, they have not yet
contracted to the point where their cores are hot enough to begin converting
hydrogen into helium.
In this region it is possible with Hubble to trace how the star formation
started at the centre of the cluster and propagated outwards, with the
youngest stars still forming today along the dust ridges.
This image was presented by Lynn Redding Carlson, Johns Hopkins University,
at the 2007 January meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle.
Notes for editors:
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between
ESA and NASA.
The other science team members are: L. Carlson (JHU), M. Sirianni
(STScI/ESA), E. Sabbi (STScI), M. Tosi (INAF - Bologna Observatory), J.S.
Gallagher (Univ. of Wisconsin), M. Meixner (STScI), M. Clampin (GSFC), S.
Oey (Univ. of Michigan), A. Pasquali (MPIAE), L. Smith (STScI/Univ. College
London), and R. Walterbos (New Mexico State Univ.).
Image credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team
(STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration
Acknowledgement: A. Nota (ESA/STScI) and L. Carlson (JHU)
Links:
* NASA's photo release
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2007/04
Contacts:
Antonella Nota
ESA/Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, USA
Tel: +1-410-338-4520
E-mail:
Lynn Redding Carlson
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
Tel: +1-410-338-3014
E-mail:
Lars Lindberg Christensen
Hubble/ESA, Garching, Germany
Tel: +49-(0)89-3200-6306
Cellular: +49-(0)173-3872-621
E-mail:
Ray Villard
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, USA
Tel: +1-410-338-4514