New star forming regions found in Milky Way
May 27th, 2010 - 12:00 pm ICT by IANSLos Angeles, May 27 (IANS) Astronomers have discovered a large number of previously unknown regions in the Milky Way where massive stars are being formed.
The star-forming H II regions are sites where hydrogen atoms are stripped of their electrons by intense radiation from young stars.
With the helo of infrared and radio telescopes Spitzer Space, the researchers traced these regions which remain hidden due to gas and dust clouds around the Milky Way, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said Wednesday.
“We found our targets by using the results of infrared surveys done with NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and of surveys done with the National Science Foundation’s Very Large Array radio telescope,” said astronomer Loren Anderson who worked on the project.
“Objects that appear bright in both the Spitzer and Very Large Array images we studied are good candidates for H II regions.”
Through further analysis, the astronomers also determined the locations of the H II regions, discovering concentrations of the regions at the end of the galaxy’s central bar and in its spiral arms, according to Xinhua.
Their analysis also showed that 25 of the regions are farther from the galaxy’s center than the sun, according to the JPL.
- New star-forming regions in Milky Way discovered - May 27, 2010
- Herschel reveals how much dark matter it takes to form new galaxy - Feb 17, 2011
- Hubble telescope spots dwarf galaxies - Nov 11, 2011
- Now, measure universe 3 times farther using super-sharp radio 'eye' - Feb 21, 2011
- Astronomers witness birth of a star - Jun 18, 2010
- Scientists discover ancient galaxies that are still forming stars - Aug 19, 2010
- US explorer traces asteroid near Tadpole Nebula - May 14, 2010
- Telescope captures star-forming region - Lagoon Nebula - Jan 06, 2011
- Galaxies 'formed much earlier than thought' - Apr 13, 2011
- NASA telescopes discover most distant galaxy cluster - Jan 13, 2011
- 'Coreshine' offers insight into stellar births - Sep 24, 2010
- Scientist to make stellar observations aboard Boeing 747 - Dec 02, 2010
- Massive star goes supernova, smothered by its own dust - Oct 13, 2010
- 'Standard candles' Cepheids not quite as standard as once thought - Jan 13, 2011
- Buckyballs much more common and abundant in universe than thought - Oct 28, 2010
Tags: dust clouds, helo, hydrogen atoms, infrared surveys, intense radiation, jet propulsion laboratory, jpl, loren anderson, massive stars, milky way, national science foundation, radio telescope, radio telescopes, s center, s central, spiral arms, spitzer space telescope, very large array, xinhua, young stars