An article published in “The Astrophysical Journal” reports the discovery of four massive molecular clouds in the central area of ​​the Milky Way with traces of star formation in an area that was considered too chaotic for that to happen. A team of researchers used the ALMA radio telescope to examine the so-called Milky Way’s Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), discovering over 800 of what are considered stellar eggs, meaning dense cores of gas and dust. ALMA made it possible to detect 43 energetic outflows of materials with characteristics associated with star formation, further evidence of what’s happening in that area.

A composite image that combines data obtained from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Pan-STARRS1 telescope in Hawaii shows the details of the planetary nebula Abell 78. It’s rather unusual among planetary nebulae because it’s a so-called born again star whose core stopped nuclear fusion but the density reached by the external layers ejected in a violent way triggered the fusion of helium in them. The consequence is an even more violent ejection of materials that generated the nebula’s irregular shape around the now dying progenitor star.

An article published in “The Astrophysical Journal” reports a study on the variable star U Monocerotis conducted by examining data collected over almost 130 years. A team of researchers led by Laura Vega of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, USA, studied what is in fact a binary system using data that goes back to the observations conducted in 1888 and stored in the archives of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO). This is the most comprehensive study ever conducted on a variable star, the largest of the pair, a yellow supergiant whose brightness varies over time.