An investigation discovered that what was believed to be a huge star at the heart of the Tarantula Nebula, also known as 30 Doradus, is actually several stars.
This is indicated by a study that analyzed the star called R136, one of those that make up the large Magellanic Cloud, a region that contains the most massive stars discovered to date and whose luminosity is such that it can be seen with the naked eye.
Published in the latest edition of the magazine Astrophysical Journalthe study was led by Venu Kalariassociate researcher at the Department of Astrophysics of the U. de Chile, and had the participation of astronomers Monica Rubio, National Prize for Exact Sciences 2021 and member of the Center for Astrophysics and Related Technologies (CATA); Y Ricardo Salinasof the Gemini South Telescope, in addition to the collaboration of Chilean engineers from the observatory, together with a team from NASA.
“The highest mass stars are not as massive as we thoughtRubio said of the findings, which could rethink models of star formation and its final stages.
To reach these results, more than a year of research was required using the Gemini Sur telescope, located in Cerro Pachón, in the town of Vicuña, Coquimbo Region, in which Chile participates through the observation time for national astronomers managed by the National Research and Development Agency (ANID).
“It was the large 8.1m mirror and the instrument called ‘Zorro’ that allowed us to take the sharpest optical images that can be taken from the ground today, revealing that where it was believed there was only one star, there are actually several,” Rubio explained.
The next step will be to continue with the investigation and determine the properties of these stars since, according to the astronomer, as they are not as massive as previously thought, “could imply that perhaps the first stars in the universe were also not as massive as the models require,” which “can be elucidated with future observations only possible with the James Webb telescope”.