In a rare sighting, astronomers observe burst of activity as a massive star forms

Sometimes the forming star swallows up a huge amount of matter, resulting in a burst of activities in the massive star.

In a rare sighting, astronomers observe burst of activity as a massive star forms : Read more

"But there's an important gap in our knowledge: astronomers don't yet fully understand how those original massive stars themselves are initially formed. So far, observations have only yielded some pieces of the puzzle. This is because nearly all the known massive stars in our galaxy are located very far away from our solar system. They also form in close proximity to other massive stars, making it difficult to study the environment where they take shape."

The Trapezium in M42 is a good example here. For folks with telescopes, high power views will show 6 stars in the Trapezium and great detail in the nebulosity all around them in M42. I enjoyed some great views of the Trapezium on 22-Jan using my 10-inch Newtonian. However, I did not see these 6, massive stars form though :)
 

Latest posts