ALMA explora una medusa cósmica
Usando los precisos ojos de ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array)) y del VLT (Very Large Telescope) de ESO, un equipo de astrónomos ha mapeado las intensas colas de una medusa cósmica: una serie de corrientes de gas emitidas desde una galaxia espiral llamada ESO 137-001.
En la imagen, puede apreciarse la belleza de este cnidario celeste con gran detalle. Los diversos elementos que componen esta imagen fueron captados por diferentes telescopios. Las imágenes de la galaxia y sus alrededores fueron tomadas por el Telescopio Espacial Hubble de la NASA/ESA; sus colas, que trazan corrientes de hidrógeno y aparecen en tonos de color púrpura brillante, por el instrumento MUSE, instalado en el VLT; y los puntos brillantes de emisión de dióxido de carbono que hay en el interior del sistema, y que aparecen como bengalas de color rojo anaranjado, fueron captados por ALMA.
Estas colas se generan por un llamativo fenómeno conocido como desprendimiento de presión ram (ram-pressure stripping). El espacio entre las galaxias de un cúmulo no está vacío, sino lleno de material que actúa como un fluido viscoso. A medida que una galaxia viaja a través de este entorno resistente, la galaxia es despojada de su gas y este forma una estela que crea hermosos e intrincados sistemas como los que se ven en la imagen, alrededor de ESO 137-001 (que se encuentra en el cúmulo de galaxias Norma). La dirección y la posición de la cola arrojan luz sobre la forma en que la galaxia se mueve (generalmente, con galaxias cayendo hacia el centro del propio cúmulo).
Esta imagen ofrece el primer mapa de alta resolución del gas molecular frío que acecha dentro de un sistema desgarrado por presión ram. ESO 137-001 es una de las galaxias medusa más cercanas a la Tierra, y es particularmente interesante porque sus largas colas extendidas de gas contienen características conocidas como 'bolas de fuego': estallidos de formación estelar. Los precisos mecanismos que rigen cómo se forman las estrellas dentro de las colas de medusa son misteriosos, y este mapa proporciona información sobre las condiciones necesarias para que las nuevas estrellas se formen en ambientes tan intensos y cambiantes.
El conjunto ALMA está formado por 66 antenas y se encuentra en el llano de Chajinator, en el desierto chileno de Atacama, a una altitud de 5.000 metros. ALMA observa el cielo nocturno desde esta ubicación remota para descubrir los secretos de cómo se formó y evolucionó el Universo —y sus extraños y maravillosos residentes, ESO 137-001 incluido—, revelando más sobre nuestros orígenes cósmicos.
Crédito:ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), P. Jachym (Czech Academy of Sciences) et al.
Sobre la imagen
| Identificador: | potw1939a |
| Idioma: | es |
| Tipo: | Observación |
| Fecha de publicación: | 30 de Septiembre de 2019 a las 06:00 |
| Tamaño: | 3350 x 2291 px |
Sobre el objeto
| Nombre: | ESO 137-001 |
| Tipo: | Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Spiral |
| Constellation: | Triangulum Australe |
Fondo de pantalla
Coordenadas
| Position (RA): | 16 13 24.01 |
| Position (Dec): | -60° 45' 32.08" |
| Field of view: | 2.79 x 1.91 arcminutes |
| Orientación: | El norte está a 80.9° a la derecha de la vertical |
Colores y filtros
| Banda | Longitud de onda | Telescopio |
|---|---|---|
| Óptico U | 275 nm | Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 |
| Óptico g | 475 nm | Hubble Space Telescope ACS |
| Milímetro CO21 | 1.32 mm | Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array Band 6 |
| Óptico I | 814 nm | Hubble Space Telescope ACS |
| Óptico H-alpha | 656 nm | Very Large Telescope MUSE |
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