Jong stellair systeem op heterdaad betrapt bij het vormen van een meerling

Voor het eerst hebben astronomen een schijf van stof en ander materiaal waargenomen rond een jonge ster die bezig is te fragmenteren tot een meervoudig stersysteem. Deze afbeelding kwam tot stand door nieuwe waarnemingen van de Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chili en onthult het proces in actie.

Sterren worden gevormd in wolken van gas en stof wanneer het flinterdunne materiaal in de wolken door de zwaartekracht inklapt tot compactere kernen die op hun beurt nog meer materiaal naar zich toe trekken. Het invallende materiaal vormt een roterende schijf rond de jonge ster en wordt langzaam verteerd. Uiteindelijk verzamelt de jonge ster voldoende massa om de nodige temperatuur en druk in het centrum te creëren om een kernfusie teweeg te brengen.

Sterren die geen metgezel hebben — zoals de zon — zijn niet zo gebruikelijk als aanvankelijk gedacht werd. Eigenlijk heeft bijna de helft van de sterren in ons sterrenstelsel minstens één metgezel, en sommige zijn zelfs nog socialer! Eerdere studies hebben aangetoond dat de sterren in meervoudige systemen de neiging hebben relatief dicht bij elkaar te staan, op ongeveer 500 keer de afstand van de aarde tot de zon (bekend als een astronomical unit of AU) of aanzienlijk verder uit elkaar, op meer dan 1000 AU.

Gezien deze totaal verschillende afstanden kwamen wetenschappers tot de conclusie dat er twee belangrijke mechanismen zijn die meervoudige stersystemen voortbrengen — ofwel klapte de oorspronkelijke wolk door instabiliteit in elkaar en fragmenteerde, waarbij elk fragment samentrok om een nieuwe ster te vormen, ofwel fragmenteerde de schijf rond een bestaande ster, wat hetzelfde resultaat oplevert. Systemen met grotere afstanden vormden zich waarschijnlijk volgens het eerste principe (zoals recente waarnemingsstudies hebben gesuggereerd) en hechtere stellaire families volgens het tweede (hoewel er beperkt bewijs was van dit proces).

Nieuwe gegevens van ALMA hebben nu door middel van observatie bewijsmateriaal geleverd voor deze conclusie. Deze afbeelding toont het tweede proces in actie, zoals dit te zien is in het jonge meervoudige stersysteem L1448 IRS3B. Het trio ligt nog steeds diep verankerd in hun moederwolk in het sterrenbeeld Perseus, ongeveer 750 lichtjaar van de aarde vandaan, en voedt zich hongerig met materiaal uit de omringende schijf. ALMA onthulde dat deze schijf een spiraalstructuur heeft, een kenmerk dat duidt op gravitationele instabiliteit.

Noten

ALMA, een internationale astronomische faciliteit, is een samenwerkingsverband van Europa, Noord-Amerika en Oost-Azië in samenwerking met de republiek Chili. De bouw en werkzaamheden van ALMA worden geleid door ESO namens Europa, door de National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) namens Noord-Amerika en door de National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) namens Oost-Azië. De Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) zorgt voor de algemene leiding en het beheer van de bouw, de inbedrijfstelling en de werking van ALMA.

Links

Credit:

ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/J.J. Tobin (University of Oklahoma/Leiden University)

Over de afbeelding

Id:potw1644a
Taal:nl
Type:Observatie
Publicatiedatum:31 oktober 2016 06:00
Grootte:1200 x 1204 px

Over het object

Naam:[BC86b] LDN 1448 IRS 3B, L1448 IRS3B
Type:Milky Way : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Protostar
Milky Way : Star : Grouping : Multiple
Afstand:750 lichtjaren
Constellation:Aries

Afbeeldingstypen

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100,7 KB

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Coordinates

Position (RA):3 25 36.36
Position (Dec):30° 45' 14.92"
Field of view:0.07 x 0.07 arcminutes
Orientation:North is -0.0° left of vertical

Kleuren & filters

BandGolflengteTelescoop
Millimeter1.5 mmAtacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array
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