Galaxy cluster's 'starburst' surprises astronomers - "Makes new Stars!"

Astronomers have seen a huge galaxy cluster doing what until now was only theorised to happen: making new stars.

Most galaxy clusters - the largest structures in the Universe - are "red and dead", having long since produced all the stars they can make.

But cluster formation should, according to theory, include a cooling phase, resulting in blue light from new stars.

Something new every week it seems............amazing!

www.bbc.co.uk...

reply to post by CaptainBeno


Wow that is pretty amazing.
I wish I could actually SEE that.

Space is absolutely incredible, the Universe we live in is truly amazing yet incredibly mysterious.

It always just leaves me asking myself the question, "How much do we really know?"

Great article OP, thanks.

reply to post by RomeByFire

"How much do we really know?"

Sadly, not enough.

Amazing isn't it, just makes my mind completely blown

reply to post by CaptainBeno


Anyone who isnt in wonder when they look up into the stars, either has no soul, or is heartless.

If i didnt have to eat and drink i would look at them(stars) for an eternity, its just amazing.

What amazes me is we are looking at star ghosts. Deceased stars roaming around in the night.

It's bizarre to see photos from space of star systems but in reality they are no longer there, or completely different.

researchers say they have seen evidence that the enormous Phoenix cluster makes 740 stars a year.

Just mind boggling.

The cluster, some seven billion light-years away, is formally called SPT-CLJ2344-4243

7 billion light years. So in the time it took the light to reach us there could have been the rise and fall of many great civilizations..

It contains the mass equivalent to about two and a half million billion Suns.

It's just insane Grasping the size of just this is insane...let alone the entire Universe.

reply to post by Lucid Lunacy


Yep, that is truly amazing in itself hey? Effectively watching time and the past. When you happen to think (as I do) about how long it takes the light to reach our eyes, it send a shiver down your spine to know that that star or what ever you are looking at has changed or is no longer there.

Space is just amazing. I wish we knew more. We probably couldn't handle the true reality. It hurts my head thinking and reading about some things hey? Just find it so hard to comprehend.

Neat stuff! However, I would like to clarify for those who don't know much about space: These galaxies are not forming the stars but simply still have star production happening within them. Not trying to play semantics, but it is important to note the difference. I love space, thanks for the post!

P.S. Lucid Lunacy you get a star for your avatar!! Great brew!!

reply to post by twistedlogic


You get a star for clearing that up for me..........cheers

reply to post by twistedlogic

These galaxies are not forming the stars but simply still have star production happening within them.

This phrase to me does not make any sense. Stars are produced, well, by star formation, and that it happening on those "dead" (more like dying) galaxies.

Since galaxies are a simple label for large clusters of stars, most probably "circling" a dense object like a ginourmous black-hole It is debatable to what point the clustering ceases to be the cause of the star-formation, in fact because the region was an active ("live") galaxy is much at the core of why there are still stars forming in the remaining debris...

You all get a star just for being SUPER AWESOME.

reply to post by CaptainBeno


I may have jumped the gun on that one. After reading another article on the subject it seems as though these clusters are indeed actually forming the stars themselves, in between galaxies. Like galaxies there are blackholes in the middle of clusters of galaxies, thats what brings them together.

It seems that these findings suggest that excess gas is actually gravitating and condensing with each other enough to create new stars outside of the galaxies themselves!! Stars are formed when enough gas is condensed, that its own gravity flings atoms at each other fast enough to create fusion. Typically started by hydrogen and hydrogen being flung together to create helium. There is a slight amount of mass lost in the fusion process that is released as pure energy ( E=mc2, energy = mass ) and boom!! you have the birth of a star.

Please disregard my other post, as this truly does add a new big piece to the puzzle of how our universe was formed and is still creating. I wonder if there are rouge solar systems that have formed outside of galaxies around these stars?!!?

reply to post by Panic2k11


Yes stars are formed by star formation, gas condensed so much that its own gravity is enough to power fusion between the condensed gases. Where the gas is condensed makes all the difference. At first glance i just thought they were pointing out galaxies that still have star formation happening, but i was wrong! not afraid to say it.

But after second glance it is clear they are talking about stars forming within clusters. Imagine the clusters as a galaxy of galaxies, and a single galaxy represents a single star orbiting around a blackhole, the excess gas from these entire galaxies are condensing to form stars all on their own outside the galaxies themselves. Phenomenal discovery indeed!

reply to post by twistedlogic


Nice reply! Cheers.

Yes, my brain is now blown....................................again.

Head, hurting............must.............stop .....................thinking................
Cheers

If the galaxy forming stars are 7 billion light years away, doesn't that also mean that they are 7 billion years old - therefore not producing stars now?

This kind of 'science' is riddled with holes. As the article states, distances are estimated based on star colour - it is not and cannot be an exact science.

Originally posted by sinthia
If the galaxy forming stars are 7 billion light years away, doesn't that also mean that they are 7 billion years old - therefore not producing stars now?

It means nothing more and nothing less than the snapshot is 7 billion years old..

This kind of 'science' is riddled with holes.

What is the 'hole' exactly? Your stance isn't at all clear.

As the article states, distances are estimated based on star colour - it is not and cannot be an exact science.

Obviously there is something else you're itching to get at Why not put your cards on the table.

P.S. Lucid Lunacy you get a star for your avatar!! Great brew!!

Cheers!

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....





Think about how far back in time they are viewing this stuff. Now THAT'S amazing.

reply to post by sinthia

This kind of 'science' is riddled with holes. As the article states, distances are estimated based on star colour - it is not and cannot be an exact science.

Eh, yah it is actually an exact science. There are no assumptions made, just math. Using parallax angles we can calculate exactly how close stars are to earth. Eh well actually the parallax trig functions work on stars that are only within 400 light years. ( I say only, but that would be 2,346,278,400,000,000 miles away! )

Heres where the color part comes into play. A stars color spectrum directly corresponds to its brightness. This correspondence has been proven by measuring the color and brightness of stars that are close enough to earth to have their distance directly measured through parallax calculations. Because of this we can observe a far away star's color spectrum and know what its real brightness is, and compare that with stars of the same color spectrum whose distance from earth is already known. At this point you just plug in the numbers and the distance pops out.

Without delving to much into the math its pretty much like this x/6 = 15/2 where the denominator (bottom) is the relative brightness and the numerator (top) is the distance.

If you dig math and such and are interested in the parallax calculations heres a link
hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu...