Thanks to the Gaia space telescope:3D map of star-forming regions around the sun
Because they are densely covered in dust, the regions in which stars are formed are particularly difficult to study. Now there is an impressive map.
Section of the 3D map, red the ionized dust in star formation regions
(Image: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, S. Payne-Wardenaar, L. McCallum et al (2025))
Using data from ESA's revolutionary Gaia space telescope, a research group has created a three-dimensional map of the areas around our sun where stars are born. This should help with the particularly difficult exploration of these "stellar nurseries," which are actually hidden from us by dense clouds of dust and gas. For the analysis, the team evaluated measurement data on 44 million stars, including almost 100 of a very specific type from star-forming regions. These main sequence stars of spectral class O ionize the gas in their surroundings. It has now been possible to determine their distribution and display it in three dimensions. This makes it possible for the first time to see what our cosmic neighborhood looks like from above.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externes Video (TargetVideo GmbH) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (TargetVideo GmbH) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
As the scientists explain, researching star-forming regions is particularly difficult due to the dense dust and gas envelopes. These cannot be observed directly, but it is possible to determine how much light is blocked by the stars behind them. The research team did this using Gaia data, which once again highlights the immense value of the space telescope, which has since been shut down. Using a gigapixel camera, it continuously photographed the starry sky for more than ten years. As it moved around the sun with the Earth, the precise measurement data made it possible to determine the position of billions of stars with increasing accuracy thanks to the so-called parallax measurement.
Before the visualization now presented, there was no model of the ionized gas in the local Milky Way that matched the observations so well, explains study leader Lewis McCallum from the University of St. Andrews in the UK. For example, the Gum Nebula, the North American Nebula, the California Nebula, and huge voids in between can be seen. The map extends to a distance of up to 4000 light-years. As more Gaia data becomes available, however, it will be extended. This will improve our understanding of the formation of stars. The work is presented in two articles in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
(mho)
