2022

An illustration of the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds with C-19 on the left side

0

An article published in the journal “Nature” reports the discovery of a primordial stellar stream at the edge of the Milky Way cataloged as C-19. A team of researchers used the GRACES instrument on the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii to study this stellar stream discovered in data collected by the Gaia space probe. The stars that are part of C-19 were identified in the Pristine survey as well, which aims to search for stars with the lowest metallicity in the Milky Way with the CFHT (Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope), also at Hawaii. Further data was collected using the Gran Telescopio Canarias in the Canaries. The study’s conclusion is that C-19’s stars were torn from an ancient star cluster when the Milky Way was very young. This new information could help better understand the formation of the first stars.

The Flame Nebula with the NGC 2023 nebula on the right (Image ESO/Th. Stanke)

0

An article accepted for publication in the journal “Astronomy & Astrophysics” reports an overview of the first results of an astronomical survey called ALCOHOLS concerning the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. For the occasion, ESO released images of the Orion Flame Nebula, one of the star formation areas within that complex. Researchers led by former ESO astronomer Thomas Stanke used the SuperCam instrument mounted on the APEX radio telescope to map the presence of carbon monoxide in that area. Despite its name and what it looks like in the images, the Flame Nebula is very cold, with temperatures generally just a few degrees above absolute zero.