In this patch of space – which stretches for some 53 trillion kilometers – real stars are born.
Astronomers have captured the western portion of the Carina Nebula in unprecedented detail using the Gemini Observatory. The result is a breathtaking photo of the cosmic nursery. In addition, the image shows a number of striking and unusual structures.
Carinanevel
Nebulae, regions of gas and dust where stars merge, heat up and begin to glow, are the best places to get a close look at the birth of stars. The beautiful Carina Nebula is found in the southern constellation of Kiel. The nebula is located between 6,500 and 10,000 light-years away from Earth and is a whopping 500 times larger than the more famous Orion Nebula, a nearby star-forming region. In the patch of space – which stretches for some 53 trillion kilometers – real stars are born. And this makes the Carina Nebula an ideal candidate for research into how stars see the light of day.
Comparison of photos of the Carina Nebula. Left was taken with the Blanco telescope in 2015. Right is the new photo taken with the 8.1-meter Gemini telescope. Image: Patrick Hartigan / Rice University
–
In the photo at the top of this article and in the photo directly above, the beautiful Carina Nebula can be seen. “The results are astounding,” says researcher Patrick Hartigan. Although star-forming regions are shrouded in dust, it is possible to see through the misty dust clouds thanks to infrared light. The team therefore used the 8.1-meter Gemini infrared telescope, located on the Chilean mountain Cerro Pachon. It is equipped with an adaptive optical camera, which allows researchers to peer through the outer layers of dust. This makes the dust and gas cloud in the Carina Nebula, known as the Western Wall, highly visible.
Adaptive optics
The beautiful details are partly due to the technique called adaptive optics. As a result, the researchers were able to capture the nebula no less than ten times sharper. This is because adaptive optics compensate for the effects of turbulence in the Earth’s atmosphere, as it were. And because of this, razor-sharp images can be made, comparable to those of a real space telescope. The image is therefore somewhat reminiscent of Hubble’s famous 1995 photo of the ‘Pillars of Creation’ in the Eagle Nebula. “Many near infrared wavelengths are only visible with a space telescope,” explains Hartigan. “But with the help of adaptive optics, we can produce images that are just as sharp as those from space.”
Structures
Thanks to the unprecedented resolution, the photo reveals a wealth of details never seen before. As a result, the mountainous part of the nebula has a number of striking and unusual features. For example, you can see a long series of parallel ridges that may have been created by a magnetic field. In addition, there is a remarkable, near-perfect wave and fragments in the gas nebula that seem to be pushed away by a strong wind. In addition, a newborn star appears to be spitting out a jet of material.
This image of the Carina Nebula shows the most striking structures. Image: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA. Acknowledgment: PI: Patrick Hartigan (Rice University). Image processing: Patrick Hartigan (Rice University), Travis Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), Mahdi Zamani & Davide de Martin
–
Zone
The image gives us a special insight into a cosmic nursery and provides more insight into how massive young stars influence their environment. Moreover, we now see in unprecedented detail exactly how stars and planets are born. “It is possible that the sun formed in a similar environment,” says Hartigan. “If so, radiation and winds from nearby massive stars would have affected the masses and atmospheres of the outer planets in our solar system.”
The stunning photo, explained in the trade magazine Astrophysical Journal Letters, is a wonderful demonstration of the effectiveness of adaptive optics. It is also the first time that carina haze has been observed with this technique. It means that every new detail is a fascinating first glimpse of this nebula. In addition, this is a foretaste of what will become possible with the upcoming James Webb telescope, which is expected takes to the airspace next October. Then we might be blown away by spectacular snapshots of cosmic nurseries located somewhere in the vast universe.
–
Keep amazed ✨
Receive the most beautiful space photos and interesting popular science articles every Friday. Get the free Scientias Magazine together with 50,000 others.
