Discovery of EOS, 3400 times the mass of the sun close to the solar system!

His name comes from the Greek goddess of Aube: EOS. It is a nebula, a huge cloud of molecular gas in which suns (understand stars, but it’s the same) are born.

This discovery is announced by Blakesley Burkhart and a team of astronomers from the University of Rutgers in New Jersey.

These molecular gas clouds are mainly composed of hydrogen, a few hundred to a few million molecules per cm³which remains very little but superior to the interstellar environment called the void. This material, excessively cold (up to -260 ° C), will condense by gravitation over millions of years until the gravitational collapse occurs, giving birth to one or more stars and planets.

One of the closest to us with 3,400 stars in gestation

EOS was revealed by an innovative method, using the distant ultraviolet spectrographer of the Korean Stst-1 Ststellite which detected its fluorescence, and not by looking for the spectral signature of certain molecules such as carbon monoxide from which it is rather devoid:

“” This is the first molecular cloud discovered by directly looking for the distant ultraviolet emission of molecular hydrogen “Said Mr. Burkhart. “” Data has shown incandescent hydrogen molecules detected by fluorescence in distant ultraviolet. This cloud literally shines in darkness. »»

He shines, of course, but in ultraviolet. Do not expect to observe it as we can see the famous Orion nebula With a simple pair of binoculars. Moreover, this kind of molecular cloud is often very dark in terms of visible light, which explains its non -detection so far.

EOS contains approximately 3400 stars of solar gas in gas. Scientists have calculated that it should disperse or be photodissocated by the light of the stars in about 5.7 million years. It would take a trigger for EOS to start giving birth to stellar systems, such as a meeting with another molecular cloud for example. He would thus become a world maker, whereas currently he loses approximately 600 times the mass of the sun per million years due to the photodissociator action of the surrounding stars.

In the sky, Eos is the size of 40 full moons and it is at the edge of what astronomers call “the local bubble“.

A close window on the birth of worlds

Within EOS, perhaps worlds will form in the next millions of years and that life will appear on a similar planet – or not – to the earth …

“” When we look through our telescopes, we attract whole solar systems at different stages of their training, but we do not know in detail how it happens “Said Burkhart. “” Our discovery of EOS is fascinating because we can now measure directly how molecular clouds are formed and dissociate, and how a galaxy begins to transform interstellar gas and dust into stars and planets. »»

“” The history of the cosmos is a story of rearrangement of atoms over billions of years “, Specifies the astronomer again. “” The hydrogen which is currently in the EOS cloud existed at the time of the Big Bang and finally came across our galaxy and merged near the sun. It is therefore a long trip of 13.6 billion years for these atoms ».