South Pole telescope maps heart of Milky Way

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:21:54 -0400

Research results obtained by a team of astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) led by Chris Martin and Antony Stark suggest that we are headed for some celestial fireworks. Sometime in the next 300 million years, the galactic center will experience a dramatic burst of star formation and will shine with the light of thousands of newborn suns. The effects of these starbursts will be dramatic. "Many of the stars that form will be very massive and short-lived," says Stark. "They'll quickly use up their fuel and explode as supernovae. Right now, we see one supernova in our galaxy about every 100 years. When the starburst happens, we'll see one supernova every year."

South Pole telescope sees origin of starbursts

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:09:23 -0400

Astronomers have seen how star formation occurs in the center of our own Milky Way Galaxy by using a telescope based at the South Pole. The observations contribute to our knowledge of how stars form in "bursts" near the center of the galaxy at roughly 500-million-year intervals. The scientists were able to show that a ring of material near the galaxy center contains, on average, several thousand molecular hydrogen molecules per cubic centimeter. This density is near a critical value. If the density is below this value, then the ring can persist as a uniform ring of material in orbit around the galactic center. If additional material is added, however, increasing the density, then the ring will come together under its own gravity and form a giant molecular cloud.

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South Pole telescope maps heart of Milky Way

South Pole telescope sees origin of starbursts