Pressemeddelelse
En ørn af kosmiske proportioner
16. juli 2009
I dag har ESO udgivet et nyt og imponerende billede af himlen omkring Ørnetågen, der er en stjerne-fødeklinik, hvor spæde stjernehobe udskærer kæmpestore søjler af støv og gas.
Ørnetågen ligger 7.000 lysår væk i retning mod stjernebilledet Serpens (Slangen), og er et imponerende fødested for stjerner. Tågen er et område af gas og støv, hvor unge stjerner er ved at blive dannet, og hvor en hob af tunge, varme stjerner, NGC 6611, netop er blevet født. Det kraftfulde lys og de stærke vinde fra disse tunge nyankomne skaber lysår-lange søjler, der ses i billedet delvist i silhuet mod den lyse baggrund som tågen udgør. Tågen selv har en form, der svagt minder om en ørn med de centrale søjler som dens ”kløer”.
Stjernehoben blev opdaget af den schweiziske astronom Jean Philippe Loys de Cheseaux i 1745-46. Den blev uafhængigt genopdaget omkring tyve år senere af den franske kometjæger Charles Messier, der tog den med som nummer 16 i sit berømte katalog, og han kommenterede, at stjernerne var omgivet af en svag glød. Ørnetågen opnåede ikonisk status i 1995, da dens centrale søjler blev fanget på et berømt billede taget med NASA/ESA Hubble-rumteleskopet. I 2001 tog ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) endnu et betagende billede af tågen (ESO Presse Foto 37/01) i nær-infrarødt lys, Det giver astronomer et kig, der trænger ind gennem det slørende støv, og tydeligt viser stjerner, der bliver dannet i søjlerne.
Det nye billede er taget med Wide Field Imager kameraet, der er monteret på MPG/ESO 2,2 meter teleskopet på La Silla i Chile. Det dækker et område på himlen, der svarer til størrelsen på fuldmånen, og er omkring 15 gange mere omfattende end det foregående VLT-billede, og mere end 200 gange mere omfattende end Hubble-billledet, der er taget i synligt lys. Hele området omkring søjlerne kan nu ses i udsøgt detalje.
”Skabelsens Søjler” ses midt i billedet, med hoben af unge stjerner, NGC 6611, liggende over og til højre. ”Spiret” – en anden søjle optaget af Hubble – ses midtfor i venstre side af billedet.
Finger-lignende strukturer stikker op fra den store skymur af kold gas og støv, ikke ulig drypsten, der rejser sig fra bunden af en hule. Inde i søjlerne er gassen tæt nok til at falde sammen under sin egen vægt og danne unge stjerner. Disse lysår-lange søjler af gas og støv bliver samtidig formet, oplyst og ødelagt af det intense ultraviolette lys fra tunge stjerner i NGC 6611, den nærtliggende unge stjernehob. Inden for nogle få millioner år – blot en dråbe i universets tidshav – vil de være væk for evigt.
Mere information
ESO, det Europæiske Syd Observatorium, er den mest fremtrædende internationale astronomi-organisation i Europa og verdens mest produktive astronomiske observatorium. ESO har i dag følgende 14 medlemslande: Belgien, Danmark, Finland, Frankrig, Holland, Italien, Portugal, Schweiz og Storbritannien, Spanien, Sverige, Tjekkiet, Tyskland og Østrig. Flere lande har udtrykt interesse i medlemskab. ESO’s aktiviteter er fokuseret på design, konstruktion og drift af jordbaserede observationsfaciliteter for astronomi for at muliggøre vigtige videnskabelige opdagelser. ESO spiller også en ledende rolle for at fremme og organisere samarbejdet inden for astronomisk forskning. I Chile driver ESO tre unikke observatorier i verdensklasse: La Silla, Paranal og Chajnantor. På Paranal driver ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT), der er verdens mest avancerede astronomiske observatorium til observationer i synligt lys. ESO er den europæiske partner i et revolutionerede astronomisk teleskop kaldet ALMA, det største igangværende astronomiske projekt. ESO planlægger i øjeblikket et 42 meter optisk/nær-infrarødt teleskop kaldet European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), der vil blive ”verdens største øje mod himlen”.
Kontakter
Henri Boffin
ESO
Garching, Germany
Tel: +49 89 3200 6222
E-mail: hboffin@eso.org
Ole J. Knudsen (Pressekontakt Danmark)
ESOs formidlingsnetværk
og Aarhus Space Centre, Aarhus Universitet
Aarhus, Danmark
Tel: +45 8715 5597
E-mail: eson-denmark@eso.org
Om pressemeddelelsen
| Pressemeddelelse nr.: | eso0926da |
| Legacy ID: | PR 26/09 |
| Navn: | Eagle Nebula |
| Type: | Milky Way : Star : Grouping : Cluster : Open Milky Way : Nebula |
| Facility: | MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope, Very Large Telescope |
| Instruments: | WFI |
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