#stellar_system

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A new release of Gaia data has revealed half a million faint stars in the globular cluster Omega Centauri. This discovery helps fill gaps in maps of the galaxy and will allow scientists to study the structure of the cluster. The European Space Agency (ESA) has unveiled new and improved data about our galaxy and outer space with the release of 5 new pieces of data collected by the Gaia space telescope. Among the mission's findings, the release identified half a million dim stars in the massive Omega Centauri cluster. The new stars discovered by Gaia inhabit one of the densest regions of the sky. The Gaia mission's previous third edition of observations provided information on more than 1.8 billion stars, providing a fairly comprehensive view of the Milky Way and beyond. However, gaps remained in the map of the galaxy. In those areas that are particularly densely “populated” with stars, the usual observing regime reached its limits, which left these areas poorly unexplored - Gaia did not notice dim stars. Globular clusters are a good example of such regions. These clusters, which are among the oldest objects in the Universe, are of particular interest to scientists who study the history of the cosmos. But their bright, star-filled cores can obscure telescopes. Thus, they remain invisible regions on maps of the Universe. [caption id="attachment_66850" align="aligncenter" width="780"] Omega Centauri[/caption] To fill the gaps in Gaia's maps, it chose Omega Centauri, the largest globular cluster visible from Earth and a good example of a "typical" cluster. Instead of focusing just on individual stars, in this survey Gaia used a special observing mode, creating 2D images using the Sky Mapper tool. New Gaia Data Release: Half a Million New Stars in Omega Centauri “In Omega Centauri, we discovered more than half a million new stars that Gaia had not seen before – and that’s just in one cluster,” says lead author Dr. Katja Weingrill, Gaia project leader at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics in Potsdam. “The new data has allowed us to discover stars that are so close to each other that they cannot be accurately detected using the regular Gaia survey. With the new data, we will be able to study the structure of the cluster, the distribution of its constituent stars and their motion, and create a complete overview of the Omega Centauri cluster. This was using Gaia’s capabilities to their full potential,” adds co-author and member of the Gaia Collaboration, Dr. Alexey Mints. The discovery exceeds Gaia's normal capabilities, as the Sky Mapper instrument was originally intended only for calibration. The team used an observing mode designed to ensure the smooth operation of all telescope instruments. And I didn’t plan to use it for scientific research. Gaia is now exploring eight more areas using this approach, the results of which will be included in Gaia Data Release 4. The data will help astronomers better understand what's going on inside these cosmic building blocks, helping data scientists pinpoint the age of our galaxy, accurately determine its center, find out how stars change throughout their lives, clarify models of the evolution of galaxies and clarify the age of the Universe. In addition to the major discovery, the new Gaia release also reveals more than 380 possible gravitational lenses, improves the orbits of more than 150,000 asteroids within the solar system, maps the disk of the Milky Way, and characterizes the dynamics of 10,000 binary stars.

#astronomical_observation #astronomy #celestial_object #deep_sky_object. #globular_cluster #Milky_Way #Omega_Centauri #space_exploration #star_cluster #stellar_system

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On October 29, the INFUSE mission launched, designed to study the formation of star systems through the study of data on supernova explosions On October 29, 2023, the INFUSE mission will launch, designed to explore the mysteries of the emergence of new star systems through the study of supernova explosions. The sounding rocket launches from the White Sands Range in New Mexico. Every year, the constellation Cygnus attracts astronomers in the northern hemisphere. A special artifact of the night sky directly above this constellation is the Veil Nebula, which has become a favorite object of observation for both amateur astronomers and scientific researchers. It is the remnant of a star whose size in the past exceeded the mass of our Sun by 20 times. About 20,000 years ago, this giant star underwent gravitational collapse, resulting in a brilliant supernova explosion. Even at a distance of 2,600 light years, the brightness of this event was sufficient that it could be observed from Earth even in daylight. [caption id="attachment_76772" align="aligncenter" width="727"] star systems[/caption] Supernova explosions are an integral part of the life cycle of a star. They eject into the surrounding space heavy elements formed in the core of the star, which subsequently becomes a source of chemical elements that exceed the mass of iron. As a result, planets, stars, and new star systems gradually form over time from the dispersed clouds of dust and gas left after the flare. The Veil Nebula provides a unique opportunity to observe a recent supernova explosion in its active stage. This huge cloud, more than 120 light years in size, continues to expand at a speed of about 1.5 million kilometers per hour. The INFUSE mission is the key to understanding the formation of star systems What astronomers detect with telescopes is not the explosion itself, but the dust and gas superheated by the shock wave and manifesting itself as a glow as it cools. To study the shock wave, Professor Brian Fleming and his team developed a telescope capable of detecting ultraviolet radiation, which has too high an energy for human vision to perceive. This light will help reveal the glow of dust and gas that has been hit by the shock waves and is still at a high temperature after the process. The INFUSE mission is an innovative spectrograph that is the first instrument of its kind to go into space. This tool combines the advantages of two techniques: optical imaging and spectroscopy. Modern optical telescopes have excellent cameras that allow them to accurately determine the direction of light and its spatial location. But they can't separate the light into its different wavelengths, and the resulting image ends up with different spectra superimposed on each other. In turn, spectroscopy divides a light beam into its components - certain spectra, similar to the division of a light beam by a prism into a rainbow. This procedure will help reveal a lot of additional information about the composition of the light source, its temperature, and the dynamics of the processes occurring. However, spectroscopy can help analyze only a narrow strip of light at a time, similar to looking at the night sky through a narrow keyhole. The INFUSE instrument creates an image and then “cuts” it—the spectrometer separates each strip into a spectrum. This data can be reconstructed into a three-dimensional "data cube" - a stack of images where each layer reveals a specific wavelength of light. Using data obtained from INFUSE, Professor Fleming and his team will be able to not only identify specific elements and their temperatures but also analyze the location of these elements along the shock wave. INFUSE will be launched into space aboard a sounding rocket. These are miniature rockets that fly into space for a few minutes to collect scientific data. The mission will launch a two-stage Black Brant 9 rocket to a peak altitude of about 240 kilometers before parachuting down to the ground for recovery. The team has already planned to upgrade the tool and relaunch. Moreover, some parts of the rocket are already being reused from the previous launch of the DEUCE mission, which took place in Australia in 2022.

#astronomical_observations #astronomy #celestial_bodies #Cosmic_bodies #cosmic_exploration #Galactic_entities #Galactic_structures #Planetary_systems #space_exploration #star_systems #Stellar_bodies #Stellar_systems