When Stars Collide , ALMA Captures Dramatic Stellar Fireworks

500 years ago , in a nebula far far way two young Stars bumped into each other producing an explosion that released as much energy as our Sun emits in 10 million years , today we get to see the result of that meeting.

The collision happened in the Orion Nebula and was captured by ESO using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimetre Array in Chile.


In this short video from ESO we travel into the Nebula to reveal the remnants of the collision.

About 100 000 years ago, several protostars started to form deep within the OMC-1. Gravity began to pull them together with ever-increasing speed, until 500 years ago two of them finally clashed. Astronomers are not sure whether they merely grazed each other or collided head-on, but either way it triggered a powerful eruption that launched other nearby protostars and hundreds of colossal streamers of gas and dust out into interstellar space at over 150 kilometres per second. This cataclysmic interaction released as much energy as our Sun emits in 10 million years

The new ALMA images, however, showcase the explosive nature in high resolution, unveiling important details about the distribution and high-velocity motion of the carbon monoxide (CO) gas inside the streamers. This will help astronomers understand the underlying force of the blast, and what impact such events could have on star formation across the galaxy.
www.eso.org...

I forget where I heard it. I am thinking it was Sagan. I remember it being said that the Andromeda galaxy is on a collision course with the Milky Way and the thing is that the galaxies collide yet it is possible for not a single star to collide with each other. I thought that was pretty amazing to think about.

Thanks for this. The Universe just never ceases to amaze.

a reply to: gortex

Thank you for sharing this information! That was an awe-some video

Well, I hope that doesn't happen here, I don't want to be part of a fireworks display.

1350 light years away, in the constellation of Orion (the Hunter), lies a dense and active star formation factory called the Orion Molecular Cloud 1 (OMC-1),

Ok. Cool. No problem.

500 years ago two of them finally clashed.
...
Fast forward 500 years, and a team of astronomers
...used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to peer into
...the debris from the explosive birth of this clump of massive stars, looking like a cosmic version of fireworks with giant streamers rocketing off in all directions.

Huh?
Now you wait just a cotton pickin' minute here!

If it takes 1,350 years for light to travel to Earth, you aren't going to be able to detect with your telescope something that happened 500 years ago!
The light from that event would only have had time to travel, 500 light-years, on a 1,350 light-year journey.

Why, this is an outrage!
I demand an explanation.

a reply to: 3n19m470

Good eye!

I would like to know the explanation too.

a reply to: 3n19m470
Don't worry, I got it.

The image shows the aftermath of a collision that happened 500 years ago (using local time). With light having to travel to us for 1,350 years, that means the collision happened 1,850 years ago.

I have often wondered what would happen if two stars collided, i have finally got my answer... Amazing

oh, i cant hold it

www.youtube.com...

a reply to: gortex

amazing picture, and maybe an end to a civilization too who knows

thanx for sharing

originally posted by: wildespace
a reply to: 3n19m470
Don't worry, I got it.

The image shows the aftermath of a collision that happened 500 years ago (using local time). With light having to travel to us for 1,350 years, that means the collision happened 1,850 years ago.

That's not what was claimed, was it.

About 100 000 years ago, several protostars started to form deep within the OMC-1. Gravity began to pull them together with ever-increasing speed, until 500 years ago two of them finally clashed.