See The Five Breathtaking New 'Fireworks' Images Of Galaxies Close To Our Milky Way

[Judi Lynn]

Jul 16, 2021,10:00pm EDT|20 views
Jamie CarterSenior Contributor
Science

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This image, taken with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on ESO’s Very Large Telescope ... [+] ESO/PHANGS

An international team of astronomers exploring the mystery of how stars are born have taken spectacular new images of some of the closest galaxies to our own Milky Way.

Showing nearby galaxies as “galactic fireworks,” the images were taken using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and two telescopes in Chile’s Atacama desert—the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).

Together the three telescopes scanned our galactic neighbours at different wavelengths—visible (VLT), near-infrared (Hubble) and sub-millimetre (ALMA), with each wavelength range unveiling different characteristics in each galaxy in different colors.

“By combining observations from some of the world’s most powerful telescopes, we can examine the galactic regions where star formation is happening, compared to where it is expected to happen,” said Dr Rebecca McElroy from the Sydney Institute for Astronomy at the University of Sydney, part of the international research team. “This will give us a chance to better understand what triggers, boosts or holds back the birth of new stars.”

More:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2021/07/16/see-the-five-breathtaking-new-fireworks-images-of-galaxies-close-to-our-milky-way/?sh=54363733607b

[Judi Lynn]

1. These stunning new images of nearby galaxies will blow you away

Hubble combines with ground-based telescopes to produce incredible snaps of "cosmic fireworks."

Jackson Ryan
July 16, 2021 6:00 p.m. PT

Sometimes at CNET Science we go really deep into explaining the wonders of the cosmos -- the marvelous impossibilities of black holes, the violent collisions of neutron stars, the wobble in the moon's orbit -- and other times we simply stare at photos of distant galaxies and sit in stunned silence.

This is one of the latter times.

On Friday, the European Southern Observatory released new images of nearby galaxies captured by two Earth-based telescopes in Chile, the "Very Large Telescope" and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, and NASA's Hubble Telescope (which is currently hobbled by an unfortunate glitch). The Observatory dubs the images "cosmic fireworks," but let's stop and think about these fireworks for just a few moments because they are much more than that.

Each of the tiny flecks of light is a young star. Thousands upon thousands of them are in each of the images, along with ethereal regions of gas -- gas that gives give rise to more fledgling furnaces, ready to burn for billions of years.

Far from being just pretty pictures, the observations are helping astronomers get a better understanding of how stars form and evolve. Typically, gas and dust accumulate and clump together because of gravity. This cosmic cloud sees atoms smashing together, violently colliding until fusion reactions kickstart the star's engine and it begins its eons-spanning burn. The ESO images provide a look at these different stages of star life.

More:
https://www.cnet.com/news/these-stunning-new-images-of-nearby-galaxies-will-blow-you-away/

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. Right now our galaxy is forming about 3 stars each year.

According to My Son The Astronomer.

[SheltieLover]

3. Spectacular!

Ty, Judi Lynn!