Astronomers discover vast gas and dust clouds for an astonishing 200 light years, lurking in a milky, unexplored area.
The structure named Midpoint Cloud is an example of a giant molecular cloud (GMC). It was discovered by the team using Green Bank Telescope. Peeling off the midpoint cloud layers, they found dynamic areas containing several potential sites of new star formation and dense lanes of dust feeding the galaxy’s heart.
“No one could have had this cloud until he saw this place in the sky and found a dense gas,” said Natalie Butterfield, team leader and national radian astronomical scientist. “We have confirmed that this is a huge molecular cloud through our measurements of size, mass and density.”
You might like it
The active region of GMC and its thick material can reveal how material flows from the disc of the Milky Way to the centre of our galaxy.
“These dust lanes are like hidden rivers of gas and dust that carry material to the heart of our galaxy,” Butterfield continued. “The midpoint cloud is where material from the galaxy disks are migrating to more extreme environments in the galaxy center, providing a unique opportunity to study initial gas conditions before they accumulate in the galaxy center.”
Gas within the midpoint cloud exists in a turbulent state, reflecting the conditions found within the gas at the center of the Milky Way. This chaotic movement can be caused by collisions between material or midpoint clouds flowing along the Dustrain itself and other molecular clouds.
Related: There should not be “Ice Cube” clouds discovered in the heart of the Galaxy – and they suggest a recent black hole explosion
Also in the midpoint clouds are some lumps of dense gas and dust that new stars are about to collapse and give birth.
One mass of the specified knot e appears to be a small cloud of gas in the process of being eroded by radiation blown up by a star nearby. Such layers are called free floating evaporation gas bulbs (Freggs).
Astronomers have also discovered a new source of intense microwave radiation called “makers.” This could be further evidence of intense star formation within the midpoint cloud.
However, researchers did not only find evidence of stellar birth in this GMC. The shell-like structure of the midpoint cloud appears to have been caused by the death of an explosive supernova of the giant star.
Research conducted by the team suggests that midpoint clouds are essential for the flow of material from the Milky Way disc to the heart.
This supplies the formation of stars with thick central star bars that cover the center of the galaxy. Similar structures of dense stars are found in other baptismal galaxies.
In other words, further investigation into the cloud and its surroundings could help to provide a clearer picture of how the star components gather at the heart of the galaxy.
“Stage formation in galaxy bars is a bit of a puzzle,” said Larry Morgan, a team member and scientist at Greenbank’s station. “The powerful forces in these regions can actually suppress star formation.
“But the main edges of these bars, such as where the midpoint is, can accumulate dense gas and cause new star formation.”
The team’s investigation was published in the Astrophysical Journal on Wednesday (July 16th).
Source link
