A team of astronomers have published spectacular new images of some of the galaxies closest to the Milky Way using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT).
The images, which resemble colorful cosmic fireworks, show the different components of galaxies in distinct colors. From these color changes, experts are able to identify where new stars are being born and study the complex processes by which they take shape. By combining these new observations with data from the Atacama Array/Large Submillimeter Array (ALMA), of which ESO is a partner, the team of astronomers seeks to shed new light on what causes the gases from which stars are born.
Astronomers know that stars are born in clouds of gas, but what causes stars to form, and the role that galaxies as a whole play in the process, remains a mystery. To solve this puzzle, the team of researchers observed various nearby galaxies with powerful ground-based and space-based telescopes, investigating different galactic regions involved in star formation. "For the first time, we are understanding individual star formation episodes in a wide range of locations and environments and in a sample that represents well different types of galaxies," says Eric Emsellem, an ESO astronomer in Germany.
We can directly observe the gas that gives life to stars, we see young stars and witness their evolution through different stages."
(Balkan Web)
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