Why is the Earth inside a huge bubble in space?
Earth is part of the Solar System, along with 7 other planets (eight, In 2006, when the International Astronomical Union reclassified it as a dwarf planet (for those who still consider Pluto to have lost its category).
Our solar system is part of a galaxy called the Milky Way Inside a large cloud, a kind of bubble, which will group the other neighbors.
Now, researchers Center for Astronomy And this Institute of Space Telescope Science Created by America A “3D map reconstructing the evolutionary history of the local bubble”, A 1,000-light-year-wide cold gas and dust crater responsible for the formation of all nearby young stars, including our Sun.
“The study reveals that the Earth and all the stars, and the parts of the planet that form stars within 500 light years. They live on the surface of this bubble, which is a good idea. Learning more about how the Earth got into the ‘local bubble’ could be another definite step in understanding our galaxy better. ” Catherine Zucker, Astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute and author of the study.
I add: “Essentially, there is a seat in the front row of star formation that occurs on the surface around us.Zucker says. But even though astronomers have known about the local bubble for decades, this discovery did not take many years. In fact, it was an accident.
According to the expert, the project was started because they wanted to create a map of all the major landmarks in our galaxy. But it started out as a regular trip into the studio Spiral arms of the Milky Way, It became a wonderful revelation after the team noticed the stars merging near the surface of the bubble.
To create a map of where these stars are, experts used a software program called Clue and data from the Kia Space Laboratory. Zuckerberg’s team was able to determine that the bubble’s appearance originated from a series of supernova eruptions about 14 million years ago. These cosmic bubbles are formed when galaxy gas is pushed out by explosions, forming expanding shells that fall apart and collapse into adjacent molecular clouds.
“Imagine that the Milky Way has the shape of a very thin pancake. When supernovae explode in the center of the disk, the bubble reaction creates pores on the surface of the “pancake” and affects its structure. Many bubbles can touch and collide with each other, “said Zucker.
This is why the team’s results suggest that the local bubble structure does not actually have a bubble shape, but rather resembles a “galaxy chimney”.
“We had to use data from different sources, but the most important component is GaiaSugar pointed out. Launched in 2013 by the European Space Agency. Kia Laboratory studies about 1 billion stars , Or less than 1 percent of the stars in the Milky Way are in the process of being created The largest and most accurate map of the galaxy. By reconstructing the history of the regions that make up these stars, astronomers can see how these regions formed over time.. That knowledge will be important to understand the role that dying stars play in creating others and what that means for the galaxy as a whole.
Adam Frank, A professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester, who studies the births and deaths of stars, said the local bubble was a “beautiful example” of how often a supernova’s star formation (stars formed by stellar explosions) is triggered. This happens compared to other training methods. Although our planet did not live in a local bubble until about 5 million years ago, Frank says, Zuckerberg’s research has wondered if life on Earth has been affected by the proximity of exploding supernovae.
“One of the interesting things about supernovae and HypernovaFrank says, “They can disinfect their local environment. If you are close enough, you could lose any life you have or at least suffer from it”. Fortunately, we know that the earliest primitive soup on Earth survived, but for some stars in our galaxy death is not an end, it is a rebirth.
“We need the life cycle of the stars to understand some of the most important things,” he concluded, believing that Earth supports life only by recycling the heavier components that are released.
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