Latest news with #Super-Hubble
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Hubble Telescope spies star-forming cocoons in neighboring galaxy (photo)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Young stars enveloped in a transformative cocoon of gas shine brightly in a new image from the Hubble Space Telescope. The newborn stars belong to a cluster known as NGC 460, which is located in a region of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy that orbits the Milky Way. NGC 460 is surrounded by a number of other young stellar clusters and varying sized nebulae, which are clouds of gas and dust that fuel new star formation. Within this region, also known as N83, there are a number of O-type stars, the brightest, hottest and most massive of main-sequence stars (like the sun), which burn hydrogen at their core. O-type stars are rare; there are thought to be just 20,000 of them in the Milky Way, according to a statement from NASA releasing the Hubble image on March 8. "The clouds of gas and dust can give rise to stars as portions of them collapse, and radiation and stellar winds from those hot, young bright stars in turn shape and compress the clouds, triggering new waves of star formation," NASA officials said in the statement. "The hydrogen clouds are ionized by the radiation of nearby stars, causing them to glow." Related: The best Hubble Space Telescope images of all time! Classified as an open star cluster, NGC 460 is a loosely bound group of stars, held together by gravity. This type of cluster typically contains a few dozen to a few thousand relatively young stars from the same giant molecular cloud. In this case, NGC 460 is believed to have formed following a collision between two hydrogen clouds. This type of interaction could have triggered the birth of several O-type stars and nebulae in the N83 region, according to the statement. "The NGC 460 star cluster resides in one of the youngest parts of this interconnected complex of stellar clusters and nebulae," NASA officials said in the statement. Related Stories: — Hubble Space Telescope reveals richest view of Andromeda galaxy to date (image) — Hubble Telescope spies newborn stars in famous Orion Nebula (photo) — NASA wants a 'Super-Hubble' space telescope to search for life on alien worlds As the stars continue to grow in their cocoon, they may migrate outward and disperse into the Small Magellanic Cloud someday. As one of the Milky Way's closest and brightest galactic neighbors, residing only about 200,000 light-years from Earth, the Small Magellanic Cloud offers an opportunity to study phenomena that are otherwise difficult to examine in more distant galaxies. The recent images of NGC 460 stem from a study on the gas and dust between stars — called the interstellar medium — to better understand how gravitational forces between interacting galaxies can foster bursts of star formation. Six overlapping observations taken using the Hubble Space Telescope at both visible and infrared wavelengths were combined to create the new mosaic image.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Hubble Telescope sets its eyes on cosmic cotton candy near the Tarantula Nebula (photo)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Fluffy strands of cosmic gas and dust illuminated by bright young stars form a beautiful cloudscape in a neighboring nebula. A new image from the Hubble Space Telescope captures the colorful, wispy clouds near the Tarantula Nebula, which is located about 160,000 light-years from Earth in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. The Tarantula Nebula is one of the most luminous and active star-forming regions in our galactic backyard. The rich reservoirs of dust and gas within the Tarantula Nebula provide the material needed to fuel the birth of new stars — some of which are 150 times more massive than our sun. The nebula's gravity pulls the dispersed gas and dust particles together, causing them to clump and eventually collapse into denser regions to form new stars. "This dust is different from ordinary household dust, which may include [tiny] bits of soil, skin cells, hair and even plastic," NASA officials said in the statement releasing the new Hubble image. "Cosmic dust is often comprised of carbon or of molecules called silicates, which contain silicon and oxygen." Related: The best Hubble Space Telescope images of all time! Silicates are a key part of star formation, as well as the formation of solar systems. These molecules are found in the interstellar medium, where they help form stars and other celestial bodies. Tiny grains of dust scattered across the cosmos can collect in disks around young stars and clump together to eventually form planets. These particles also help cool clouds of gas, allowing them to condense and form new stars. "Dust plays several important roles in the universe," NASA officials said in the statement. "Dust even plays a role in making new molecules in interstellar space, providing a venue for individual atoms to find each other and bond together in the vastness of space." Related Stories: — Hubble Space Telescope reveals richest view of Andromeda galaxy to date (image) — Hubble Telescope spies newborn stars in famous Orion Nebula (photo) — NASA wants a 'Super-Hubble' space telescope to search for life on alien worlds The recent image of the Tarantula Nebula's neighborhood was captured as part of a larger initiative to characterize the properties of cosmic dust in the Large Magellanic Cloud and other galaxies near our own Milky Way. The Hubble image captures the nebula's diverse stellar population, which includes hot, young blue stars and older red stars, scattered among intricately woven, airy tendrils of gas and dark clumps of dust. The colorful cloud formations glow in bright white and deep blue-green and orange-brown hues that create a beautiful cloudscape reminiscent of clouds illuminated by a golden sunrise on Earth.
