Šaltiniai:
PhysOrg – Pillars of Creation formed in the shadows
Research by astronomers at the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies suggests that shadows hold the key to how giant star-forming structures like the famous “Pillars of Creation” take shape.
The pillars are dense columns within giant clouds of dust and gas where massive stars form. Several theories have been proposed to explain why the pillars develop around the edge of ionised gas bubbles surrounding young, very hot stars. Using computer models, the Dublin group has found that partially-shadowed clumps of gas tend to creep towards darker areas, causing pile-ups behind dense knots of gas and dust that screen the intense ultraviolet light emitted by the stars.
The team, led by Dr Andrew Lim, found that the configuration of clumps of gas had to be favourable for the pillars to form. Some age estimates put the Eagle Nebula pillars at no more than 100 000 years old, and models show that the shadow from a single clump would not attain the density to form a pillar in that relatively short timescale.
