ALMA bestudeert puinschijf rondom Fomalhaut
Fomalhaut is een van de helderste sterren aan de hemel. De ster ligt relatief dicht bij ons, op ongeveer 25 lichtjaar van ons vandaag, en kan als een heel heldere ster in het sterrenbeeld Piscus Austrinus (de Zuidervis) waargenomen worden. Deze opname van de Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) toont Fomalhaut (in het midden) omgeven door een ring van stoffig puin – het is voor het eerst dat dit schouwspel in zo een hoge resolutie en met een dergelijke mate van precisie op millimetergolflengte op beeld is vastgelegd.
De schijf van Fomalhaut bestaat uit een mengeling van kosmisch stof en gas van kometen in het stelsel van Fomalhaut (exokometen), vrijgekomen toen de exokometen rakelings voorbij scheerden en tegen elkaar aan botsten. Deze turbulente omgeving lijkt op een vroege periode in ons eigen zonnestelsel, bekend als het ‘late zware bombardement’ dat ongeveer vier miljard jaar geleden plaatsvond. Tijdens dit tijdperk werd een gigantisch aantal rotsachtige objecten het binnenste gedeelte van ons zonnestelsel in geslingerd en kwamen deze in botsing met de jonge terrestrische planeten, waaronder de aarde, waar ze een groot aantal inslagkraters deden ontstaan – veel van die kraters zijn vandaag nog te zien op de oppervlakken van de planeten Mercurius en Mars.
Bekend is dat Fomalhaut omringd wordt door verscheidene schijven van brokstukken – op deze ALMA-opname is de buitenste te zien. De ring ligt op zowat 20 miljard kilometer van de centrale ster en is ongeveer 2 miljard kilometer breed. Zo een relatief smalle, excentrische schijf kan enkel gevormd worden onder invloed van de zwaartekracht van planeten in het stelsel, net zoals de invloed die de zwaartekracht van Jupiter heeft op onze asteroïdengordel. In 2008 ontdekte de NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope de befaamde exoplaneet Fomalhaut b die binnen deze gordel zijn omloopbaan heeft, maar de planeet is niet te zien op deze ALMA-opname.
Link:
Credit:ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/L. Matrà/M. A. MacGregor
Over de afbeelding
| Id: | potw1721a |
| Taal: | nl |
| Type: | Observatie |
| Publicatiedatum: | 22 mei 2017 06:00 |
| Grootte: | 3191 x 2064 px |
Over het object
| Naam: | Fomalhaut |
| Type: | Milky Way : Star : Circumstellar Material : Disk : Debris |
| Afstand: | 25 lichtjaren |
| Constellation: | Piscis Austrinus |
Achtergrond
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 22 57 39.05 |
| Position (Dec): | -29° 37' 18.51" |
| Field of view: | 0.70 x 0.45 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is 90.0° right of vertical |
Kleuren & filters
| Band | Golflengte | Telescoop |
|---|---|---|
| Millimeter 230.538 GHz | 1.3 mm | Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array Band 6 |
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