Yale University | 2015 Nov 04
[c][attachment=0]SerpensOutflow.jpg[/attachment][/c][hr][/hr]A Yale-led study has found a cluster of young stars that develop in distinct, episodic spurts.
It is the first time astronomers have seen such a growth pattern within a star cluster — a chaotic, turbulent environment that is common for star formation. Previous observations have focused on stars forming in more isolated regions of space.
In a study published this week in the journal Nature, astronomers described the cosmic convulsions within Serpens South, a star cluster 1,400 light years from Earth. The researchers focused in particular on a protostar called CARMA-7.
The researchers recorded 22 “episodes” in which CARMA-7 experienced the gravitational push-pull that characterizes star formation. As protostars ingest raw material, they have counter-balancing emissions of material they don’t need. Such “outflow” is important to researchers because it can be measured more easily, unlike the hard-to-detect incoming matter. ...
Protostar Growth Spurts
National Radio Astronomy Observatory | 2015 Nov 04
Episodic molecular outflow in the very young protostellar cluster Serpens South - Adele L. Plunkett et al
- Nature 527(7576):70 (05 Nov 2015) DOI: 10.1038/nature15702