A Baby Picture of the Sun
Astronomers have identified a newly forming star in the nearby Eagle nebula (that’s the nebula where the famous Pillars of Creation can be found) located about 7,000 light years from Earth. The object – dubbed E42 – is at the earliest stage of formation for a sunlike star that astronomers have ever found.
Our Sun was thought to form in a nebula very similar to the Eagle Nebula. The cloud of gas and dust collapsed about 5 billion years ago through ultraviolet pressure from nearby stars, as well as passing shockwaves from nearby supernova explosions.
So let’s sit back, and watch this baby star for another 5 billions years or so. They grow up so fast.
Original Source: University of Colorado at Boulder News Release
Recent Posts
The First Close-Up Picture of Star Outside the Milky Way
Like a performer preparing for their big finale, a distant star is shedding its outer…
Here’s What We Know About Earth’s Temporary Mini-Moon
For a little over a month now, the Earth has been joined by a new…
New Study Suggests Black Holes Get their “Hair” from their Mothers
Despite decades of study, black holes are still one of the most puzzling objects in…
Gaze at New Pictures of the Sun from Solar Orbiter
74 million kilometres is a huge distance from which to observe something. But 74 million…
Are Fast Radio Bursts Caused by Interstellar Objects Crashing Into Neutron Stars?
Astronomers have only been aware of fast radio bursts for about two decades. These are…
Here’s How to Weigh Gigantic Filaments of Dark Matter
How do you weigh one of the largest objects in the entire universe? Very carefully,…