Post date: Aug 20, 2013 11:55:34 PM
Astronomers in Chile vividly capture the violent birth of a new star in the constellation Vela.
ATACAMA, CHILE (AUGUST 20, 2013) (ESO) - Astronomers in Chile have captured the violent birth of a new star some 1,400 light-years from Earth, revealing close up the energetic burst of glowing gas that power new stars.
The amazing footage reveals the star's violent birth as it ejects material into space at supersonic speeds as high as one million km (621,000 miles) per hour, colliding with space dust and debris.The remarkable images of the creation of a new star in the constellation Vela were captured with the European Southern Observatory 's ALMA (Atacama Large Millimetre / submillimetre Array) telescope in Chile.
According to the European Southern Observatory, the unprecedented shots capture in never-before-seen detail the extreme velocities of the jets of gas as they stream from the new star.
The ALMA observation base is an international facility for European, North American and East Asian astronomy expertise in cooperation with Chile.
Astronomers in Chile will use the amazing footage to study the process of star formation and will continue to track the newborn star.