Pressemeddelelse
Stjernehob i intense farver på nyt 80-millioner pixelbillede fra ESO
13. februar 2025
Var det noget med et billede af en stjernehob med 80 millioner pixels? Det europæiske Sydobservatorium ESO har netop udsendte et billede af stjernehoben RCW 38, optaget med ESOs Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) i Chiles Atacamaørken.
Tag et kig på dette farverige billede af stjernefødestuen RCW 38, som befinder sig omkring 5500 lysår borte fra os i retning af stjernebilledet Vela. Her er ikke nogen holden tilbage med at vise alle regnbuefarverne, fra gasskyernes sprudlende pink til de farvemyldrende pletter, hvor nye stjerner dannes - her er det hele!
Sammenlignet med vores egen stjerne Solen, som er 4,6 milliarder år gammel og i en stabil livsfase, er stjernerne i RCW 38 stadig årsunger. Hoben er mindre end en million år gammel, og den indeholder omkring 2000 stjerner, som udgør dette psykedeliske landskab. Den unge stjernehob myldrer med aktiviteter, og derfor er den et spændende område for astronomerne.
Stjernehobe er som enorme trykkogere fyldt med alle de nødvendige ingredienser til stjernedannelse: tætte gaståger og uigennemsigtige klumper af kosmisk støv. Det er når denne blanding af gasser og støv kollapser under deres egen vægt, at en stjerne fødes.
Den kraftige stråling, som kommer fra disse nyfødte stjerner får gasserne omkring stjernehoben til at lyse kraftigt op, og det er derfra vi får de lyserøde farvetoner, som vi ser her i RCW 38. Det er virkelig meget flot! Og alligevel så forbliver mange af stjernerne i hoben RCW 38 usynlige for os i synligt lys, fordi der er støv, som spærrer for lyset.
Her kommer VISTA teleskopet fra ESOs Paranal Observatorium bogstaveligt ind i billedet: med teleskopets VIRCAM-kamera kan man se i infrarødt lys, og det kan i modsætning til det synlige lys trænge næsten uhindret igennem støvet, så vi får alle RCW 38's yndigheder at se. Pludselig kan vi også se unge stjerner inde i deres kapper af støv, eller de kolde 'fejlede stjerner', som vi kalder brune dværge.
Det infrarøde billede her er optaget i forbindelse med projektet med det lange navn 'VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV)', hvorfra vi har fået de mest detaljerede infrarrøde udsnitsbilleder af vores egen galakse Mælkevejen nogensinde. Oversigtsprojekter som dette finder hidtil ukendte astronomiske objekter, eller giver os en ny vinkel på allerede kendte.
Siden dette billede blev optaget er VISTAs trofaste VIRCAM-kamera blevet sendt på pension, efter at have gennemført adskillige imponerende oversigtsprojekter siden 2008. Senere i år får teleskopet et helt nyt instrument, 4MOST, monteret, og det vil kunne optage spektrer af 2400 objekter samtidigt over et bredt himmelfelt. VISTA bliver som genfødt, og fremtiden ser bogstaveligt lysende ud.
Links
- Fotos af VISTA
- Find ud af mere om ESOs Extremely Large Telescope på den særlige webside og i pressemappen
- For journalister: Du kan abonnere på vore pressemeddelelser under embargo og på dit på dit eget sprog, og du kan ansøge om at være med ved ESOs delvist finansierede 2025 strategiske mediegbesøg (Som er noget helt nyt)
- For forskere: Har du en god historie? Så send os et tip
- Trussel imod Verdens mørkeste og reneste himmel fra et mega industriprojekt.
Kontakter
Juan Carlos Muñoz Mateos
ESO Media Officer
Garching bei München, Germany
Tel: +49 89 3200 6176
E-mail: press@eso.org
Ole J. Knudsen (Pressekontakt Danmark)
ESOs formidlingsnetværk
og Aarhus Space Centre, Aarhus Universitet
Aarhus, Danmark
Tel: +45 8715 5597
E-mail: eson-denmark@eso.org
Om pressemeddelelsen
| Pressemeddelelse nr.: | eso2503da |
| Navn: | RCW 38 |
| Type: | Milky Way : Star : Grouping : Cluster |
| Facility: | Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy |
| Instruments: | VIRCAM |
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