Astronomers spot mysterious bar-shaped cloud of iron inside an iconic nebula
A never-before-seen cloud of iron atoms exists in a specific nebula inside the constellation Lyra – and researchers aren’t sure why
Roger Wesson et al/MNRAS
ring nebula It is a sight worth seeing. Located in the Lyra constellation, this kaleidoscope of gas is a donut dying echo Of a star not very different from our Sun. And according to a new study, it also hosts a giant never-before-seen cloud of iron atoms. Astronomers aren’t sure why.
The mass of this bar-shaped cloud is slightly more than that of Mars. Astronomers observed this using William Herschel Telescope (WHT) in Spain is using an optical spectrometer called the WHT Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer (WEAVE). the conclusions are Detailed in a new paper Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
“As we processed the data and scrolled through the images, one thing became as clear as anything else – this previously unknown strip of ionized iron atoms in the middle of the familiar and iconic ring,” said Roger Wesson, an astronomer at Cardiff University in Wales and lead author of the new paper. a statement.
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How the bar got there is a mystery. The bar is located somewhere in the middle of the nebula and is about as long 500 times Pluto’s orbit around the Sun. It’s possible the bar could tell scientists more about how the nebula formed. The researchers plan to conduct a follow-up study with WEAVE to try and answer some of these questions.
Astronomers don’t know why it exists, but it’s probably not the only one of its kind. Wesson said in the same statement, “It would be very surprising if the iron bar in the ring were unique.” “So hopefully, as we observe and analyze more nebulae formed in the same way, we’ll find more examples of this phenomenon, helping us understand where the iron comes from.”
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