The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has revealed how Sagittarius B2 produces half of the stars despite having only 10% of the gas. It is a colorful cluster of massive stars and glowing cosmic dust in the Sagittarius B2 molecular cloud (Sgr B2). The telescope has been instrumental in capturing both its colorful stars and its gaseous star craters in unprecedented detail, ESA reports in a statement.
Sagittarius B2 is located just a few hundred light-years from the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Galaxy
Going into detail, according to the information we have, it is the most massive and active star-forming cloud in our Milky Way Galaxy, producing half of the stars created in the central galactic region despite containing only 10% of the star-forming material in the region. Sagittarius B2 is located just a few hundred light-years from the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Galaxy, called Sagittarius A, a region densely populated with stars, star-forming clouds, and complex magnetic fields. Now, the Webb Telescope has revealed stunning new images of the region using its near- and mid-infrared instruments.
Astronomers believe that analyzing the Webb telescope data will help unravel the persistent mysteries of star formation and why Sagittarius B2 is forming so many more stars than the rest of the galactic center. “Webb’s powerful infrared instruments provide details we’ve never been able to see before, which will help us understand some of the still-elusive mysteries of massive star formation and why Sagittarius B2 is so much more active than the rest of the galactic center,” said astronomer Adam Ginsburg of the University of Florida, principal investigator of the program.
Nazar Budaiev: “Humans have studied stars for thousands of years, and there is still much to understand”
One of the most remarkable aspects of the Webb telescope images of Sagittarius B2 is the portions that remain dark. “Humans have studied stars for thousands of years, and there is still much to understand,” said Nazar Budaiev, a graduate student at the University of Florida and co-principal investigator on the study. These ironically empty areas of space are actually so dense with gas and dust that not even the Webb telescope can see through them.
Evidence: These dense clouds are the raw material for future stars and a refuge for those still too young to shine
The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. “In addition to all the new things Webb shows us, there are also new mysteries to explore, and it’s exciting to be part of this continuing discovery,” experts say. These dense clouds are the raw material for future stars and a refuge for those still too young to shine. Webb solves mysteries in our solar system, observes distant worlds around other stars, and investigates the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).
Astronomers hope Webb will shed light: A further step forward for science
Astronomers hope Webb will shed light on why star formation in the galactic center is so disproportionate. Although the region is teeming with raw gas, it is generally not as productive as Sagittarius B2. While Sagittarius B2 contains only 10% of the gas in the galactic center, it produces 50% of its stars. Further investigations of these stars will reveal details about their masses and ages, helping astronomers better understand the process of star formation in this dense and active region of the galactic center. In short, a further step forward for science.
