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   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    When the stars align: Astronomers find answers to mysterious action of   
   ghost stars in our Galaxy    
      
     Date:   
         July 13, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of Manchester   
     Summary:   
         Scientists have found a source for the mysterious alignment of   
         stars near the Galactic Center.   
      
      
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   A collaboration of scientists from The University of Manchester and the   
   University of Hong Kong have found a source for the mysterious alignment   
   of stars near the Galactic Centre.   
      
   The alignment of planetary nebulae was discovered ten years ago by a   
   Manchester PhD student, Bryan Rees, but has remained unexplained.   
      
   New data obtained with the European Southern Observatory Very Large   
   Telescope in Chile and the Hubble Space Telescope, published in   
   Astrophysical Journal Letters, has confirmed the alignment but also   
   found a particular group of stars that is responsible, namely close   
   binary stars.   
      
   Planetary nebulae are clouds of gas that are expelled by stars at the   
   end of their lives -- the Sun will also form one about five billion   
   years from now.   
      
   The ejected clouds are 'ghosts' of their dying stars and they form   
   beautiful structures such as an hourglass or butterfly shape.   
      
   The team studied a group of so-called planetary nebulae found in the   
   Galactic Bulge near the centre of our Milky Way. Each of these nebulae   
   are unrelated and come from different stars, which were born at different   
   times, and spend their lives in completely different places. However,   
   the study found that many of their shapes line up in the sky in the same   
   way and are aligned almost parallel to the Galactic plane (our Milky Way).   
      
   This is in the same direction as found by Bryan Rees a decade ago.   
      
   The new research, led by Shuyu Tan, a student at the University of Hong   
   Kong, found that the alignment is present only in planetary nebulae which   
   have a close stellar companion. The companion star orbits the main star   
   at the centre of the planetary nebulae in an orbit closer than Mercury   
   is to our own Sun.   
      
   The planetary nebulae that do not show close companions do not show   
   the alignment, which suggests that the alignment is potentially linked   
   to the initial separation of the binary components at the time of the   
   star's birth.   
      
   Albert Zijlstra, co-author and Professor in Astrophysics at The University   
   of Manchester, said: "This finding pushes us closer to understanding   
   the cause for this mysterious alignment.   
      
   "Planetary nebulae offer us a window into the heart of our galaxy and   
   this insight deepens our understanding of the dynamics and evolution of   
   the Milky Way's bulge region.   
      
   "The formation of stars in the bulge of our galaxy is a complex process   
   that involves various factors such as gravity, turbulence, and magnetic   
   fields.   
      
   Until now, we have had a lack of evidence for which of these mechanisms   
   could be causing this process to happen and generating this alignment.   
      
   "The significance in this research lies in the fact that we now know   
   that the alignment is observed in this very specific subset of planetary   
   nebulae."  The researchers investigated 136 confirmed planetary nebulae   
   in the galaxy bulge -- the thickest section of our Milky Way composed   
   of stars, gas and dust -- using the European Southern Observatory Very   
   Large Telescope, which has a main mirror diameter of eight metres.   
      
   They also re-examined and re-measured 40 of these from the original   
   study using images from the high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope.   
      
   Prof Quentin Parker, the corresponding author from the University of Hong   
   Kong, suggests the nebulae may be shaped by the rapid orbital motion of   
   the companion star, which may even end up orbiting inside the main star.   
      
   The alignment of the nebulae may mean that the close binary system   
   preferentially forms with their orbits in the same plane.   
      
   Although further studies are needed to fully understand the mechanisms   
   behind the alignment, the findings provide important evidence for the   
   presence of a constant and controlled process that has influenced star   
   formation over billions of years and vast distances.   
      
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   Them Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Manchester. Note:   
   Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Shuyu Tan, Quentin A. Parker, Albert A. Zijlstra, Andreas Ritter,   
      Bryan   
         Rees. When the Stars Align: A 5s Concordance of Planetary Nebulae   
         Major Axes in the Center of Our Galaxy. The Astrophysical Journal   
         Letters, 2023; 951 (2): L44 DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/acdbcd   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230713142104.htm   
      
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