MSGID: 1:317/3 63f0546b   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Astrophysics: Scientists observe high-speed star formation    
      
     Date:   
         February 17, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of Cologne   
     Summary:   
         New observations have brought to light that stars can form through   
         the dynamic interaction of gas within interstellar gas clouds. This   
         process unfolds faster than previously assumed, research within the   
         FEEDBACK programme on board the flying observatory SOFIA revealed.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   Even though SOFIA is no longer in operation, the data collected so far   
   are essential for basic astronomical research because there is no longer   
   an instrument that extensively maps the sky in this wavelength range   
   (typically 60 to 200 micrometres). The now active James Webb Space   
   Telescope observes in the infrared at shorter wavelengths and focuses   
   on spatially small areas.   
      
   Therefore, the analysis of the data collected by SOFIA is ongoing   
   and continues to provide important insights - also regarding other   
   star-forming regions: "In the list of FEEDBACK sources, there are other   
   gas clouds in different stages of evolution, where we are now looking   
   for the weak CII radiation at the peripheries of the clouds to detect   
   similar interactions as in the Cygnus X region," Schneider concluded.   
      
      
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   al standards. The results of the study `Ionized carbon as a tracer for   
   the assembly of interstellar clouds' will appear in the next issue of   
   Nature Astronomy.   
      
   The observations were carried out in an international project led by Dr   
   Nicola Schneider at the University of Cologne and Prof Alexander Tielens   
   at the University of Maryland as part of the FEEDBACK programme on board   
   the flying observatory SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared   
   Astronomy). The new findings modify previous perceptions that this   
   specific process of star formation is quasi-static and quite slow. The   
   dynamic formation process now observed would also explain the formation   
   of particularly massive stars.   
      
   By comparing the distribution of ionized carbon, molecular carbon monoxide   
   and atomic hydrogen, the team found that the shells of interstellar   
   gas clouds are made of hydrogen and collide with each other at speeds   
   of up to twenty kilometres per second. "This high speed compresses   
   the gas into denser molecular regions where new, mainly massive stars   
   form. We needed the CII observations to detect this otherwise `dark'   
   gas," said Dr Schneider. The observations show for the first time the   
   faint CII radiation from the periphery of the clouds, which could not be   
   observed before. Only SOFIA and its sensitive instruments were capable   
   of detecting this radiation.   
      
   SOFIA was operated by NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) until   
   September 2022. The observatory consisted of a converted Boeing 747   
   with a built-in 2.7-metre telescope. It was coordinated by the German   
   SOFIA Institute (DSI) and the Universities Space Research Association   
   (USRA). SOFIA observed the sky from the stratosphere (above 13 kilometres)   
   and covered the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, just   
   beyond what humans can see. The Boeing thus flew above most of the water   
   vapour in the Earth's atmosphere, which otherwise blocks out infrared   
   light. This allowed the scientists to observe a wavelength range that   
   is not accessible from Earth. For the current results, the team used the   
   upGREAT receiver installed on SOFIA in 2015 by the Max Planck Institute   
   for Radio Astronomy in Bonn and the University of Cologne.   
      
   Even though SOFIA is no longer in operation, the data collected so far   
   are essential for basic astronomical research because there is no longer   
   an instrument that extensively maps the sky in this wavelength range   
   (typically 60 to 200 micrometres). The now active James Webb Space   
   Telescope observes in the infrared at shorter wavelengths and focuses   
   on spatially small areas.   
      
   Therefore, the analysis of the data collected by SOFIA is ongoing   
   and continues to provide important insights - also regarding other   
   star-forming regions: "In the list of FEEDBACK sources, there are other   
   gas clouds in different stages of evolution, where we are now looking   
   for the weak CII radiation at the peripheries of the clouds to detect   
   similar interactions as in the Cygnus X region," Schneider concluded.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Space_&_Time   
                   # Galaxies # Stars # Astrophysics # Astronomy # NASA #   
                   Extrasolar_Planets # Nebulae # Space_Telescopes   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Interstellar_medium o Galaxy o Open_cluster o Gas_giant o   
             Chandra_X-ray_Observatory o Astronomy o Spitzer_space_telescope   
             o Planetary_nebula   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Cologne. Note: Content   
   may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Nicola Schneider, Lars Bonne, Sylvain Bontemps, Slawa Kabanovic,   
      Robert   
         Simon, Volker Ossenkopf-Okada, Christof Buchbender, Ju"rgen   
         Stutzki, Marc Mertens, Oliver Ricken, Timea Csengeri,   
         Alexander G.G.M. Tielens. Ionized carbon as a tracer of the   
         assembly of interstellar clouds. Nature Astronomy, 2023; DOI:   
         10.1038/s41550-023-01901-5   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230217103934.htm   
      
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