This evocative new image obtained by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) showsa dark cloud of cold cosmic dust, called Lupus 3, in which new stars are forming. To his right, with a cluster of stars that have already emerged from their dusty stellar nursery, it shines brilliantly. The new image was obtained with the MPG / ESO 2.2-meter telescope, installed at the La Silla Observatory, in Chile, and is the best portrait ever obtained in visible light of this little-known object.
Since the densest parts of this type of cloud contract under the effects of gravity, as a result they heat up and begin to glow. At first, dust clouds block radiation, and can only be seen with telescopes that work at wavelengths longer than visible light, such as infrared. But as the stars get hotter and brighter, their intense radiation and stellar winds gradually wash away the clouds that surround them until they emerge, showing us all their beauty.
The bright stars to the right of the center of Lupus 3, about 600 light years from Earth, are a perfect example of hot, young stars. Some of its bright blue light has been scattered by the debris of dust around it. The two most visible stars are bright enough to be easily observed with a small telescope or binoculars. Is aboutyoung stars that have not yet begun to shine due to nuclear fusion in their centersand they are surrounded by luminous gas. They are likely less than a million years old.
Is verythe Sun likely formed in a region of similar star formation more than four billion years ago. What’s more, most of the stars in our galaxy, and other galaxies, are believed to have formed in regions like the one in the image. Hence the enormous interest these clouds arouse for astronomers.
