Astrophysicists have discovered a new region in the Milky Way galaxy filled with extremely hot bright blue stars that are about to explode.
Researchers were using the European Space Agency (ESA) Gaia Telescope to create the most detailed map of the star-dotted spiral arms in our galactic region so far when they discovered the area they named Cepheus spur. They report this in a new study. .
Snuggle into the arms of the titans – where we own them Solar System He – and the constellation Perseus, the disk is a belt between two spiral arms that, due to the intense heat, are filled with massive stars three times the size of the sun and blue.
Astronomers call these giant blue stars OB because of the blue wavelengths of light they emit. It is the rarest, hottest, shortest and largest star in the entire galaxy. The violent nuclear reactions in their hearts make them six times hotter than the sun. Lifelong supernovae – called supernovae – scatter the heavy elements necessary for complex life in the galaxy.
Connected: 11 fabulous facts about our Milky Way
“OB stars are rare, there may be fewer than 200,000 in a galaxy of 400 billion stars,” said Michelangelo Pantaleone Gonzalez, co-author of the study, Michelangelo Pantaleone Gonzales, a researcher at the Spanish Center for Astrobiology (CAB) Live Science. Because it is responsible for the production of many heavy elements, it can be considered a chemical fertilizer for the galaxy. Because of these long-dead stars, the geochemistry of our planet was so complex that biochemistry could arise. “Wherever we find blue stars, we find the most active and” vibrant “regions of the galaxy, according to the researchers.
Researchers compiled their star map by triangulating the distances between stars Earth Using a technique called astral display. By comparing the apparent positions of the stars observed from different perspectives during the Earth’s orbit around the sun, astronomers can calculate the distances to the stars themselves. Using this technology, along with data from the European Space Agency’s Jaya telescope, the team mapped stars farther than those previously mapped and in regions of space previously thought to be empty.
“After months of work, we saw this beautiful card for the first time,” said Pantaleone Gonzalez. “I felt like a discoverer of enlightenment, tracking the first accurate maps of our world – now only on a different scale. I felt so humbled and small when I saw how great our distinguished neighbors were.”
Scientists have shown that the new region is part of the spiral galaxy disk that contains most of our galaxy’s material, and not just a random direction of the stars by watching them move continuously in the same direction.
They also suspect that taking a look at the location of the alarm clock, located directly above the galactic disk, could provide some confusing clues about the Milky Way’s past.
“If we live in a galaxy with waves with slight vertical differences or ripples on its disk, this may indicate a history of violent development in our galaxy,” Pantaleone Gonzalez said. “They could be signs of past collisions with other galaxies.”
The researchers’ next step will be to place additional OB stars on a more detailed map that they hope will provide further insight into the structures of our galaxy.
The researchers published their findings in the journal on March 19 Monthly Notices from the Royal Astronomical Society.
Originally published on Live Science.
“Prone to fits of apathy. Zombie ninja. Entrepreneur. Organizer. Evil travel aficionado. Coffee practitioner. Beer lover.”
More Stories
A mysterious discovery on Mars – NASA talks about “tire tracks” or “dragon scales”
Bundesbank chief calls for higher growth rates – MarketScreener
“Dragon scales” or “tire tracks” – NASA spacecraft makes a strange discovery on Mars