There are new Stars Forming Near the Core of the Milky Way Despite the Harsh Environment

[Seldom Bucket]

The central core of our galaxy is not a friendly place for star formation, and yet new observations have revealed almost four dozen newly-forming systems. These results challenge our understanding of the complicated physics of our galactic heart.


The core of our galaxy may be pretty, but it’s not a friendly place. Within the innermost 1000 light-years of the core, known as the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), there’s simply too much activity for stars to form. Stars can only form after clumps of gas cool and condense, and anything that disrupts that process will prevent star formation. In the core, heating and turbulence from all the frenetic activity was long thought to put the brakes on new star formation in the CMZ.

There are new Stars Forming Near the Core of the Milky Way Despite the Harsh Environment

The central core of our galaxy is not a friendly place for star formation, and yet new observations have revealed almost four dozen newly-forming systems. These results challenge our understanding of the complicated physics of our galactic heart. The core of our galaxy may be pretty, but it’s...

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