The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) recently announced that it has discovered a previously unknown “giant molecular cloud (GMC)” near the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
This giant molecular cloud has a mass 160,000 times that of the Sun and is said to be a “cradle of stars” packed with stellar material .
Are molecular clouds “cradles of stars”?
Where in the universe are the stars that shine in the night sky born, and how?
The key to the answer lies in a celestial object called a “molecular cloud.”
Molecular clouds are regions that contain large amounts of gas and dust, mainly hydrogen and carbon monoxide, and are also the places where stars are born in space.
Giant molecular clouds (GMCs) are those with a total mass more than 100,000 times that of the Sun.
Giant molecular clouds are known to be the coldest and densest regions of interstellar space, with diameters of 15 to 600 light years, and are capable of producing a large number of stars at once.
Although molecular clouds are considered important as the birthplaces of stars, many mysteries remain regarding their formation process and properties.
In particular, the nature of star formation in the “Dust Lanes,” which are passageways through which material flows toward the center of the Milky Way galaxy , has been a topic of debate.
Some studies have suggested that star formation is suppressed within these dust belts, but recent observations have confirmed that young star clusters are forming along the dust belts, leading to a movement to reevaluate their role.
Against this background, the research team discovered a new giant molecular cloud at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
Giant molecular cloud discovered with a mass 160,000 times that of the sun!
The research team used the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, USA, to conduct spectral observations of molecular gas.
As a result, the existence of a new giant molecular cloud was confirmed in the “dust belt” located about 23,000 light years from Earth, near the center of the Milky Way galaxy .
This giant molecular cloud has been named “M4.7-0.8” and is approximately 195 light years in length and 65 light years in width , with a mass 160,000 times that of the Sun.
Two candidate regions for star formation, Knot B and Knot E, have also been discovered within M4.7–0.8 .
Knot E in particular exhibits a dense, comet-like structure and is thought to be a possible “free-floating evaporated gas globule,” but further investigation is needed.
Furthermore, inside the giant molecular clouds, gas flows , which is similar to the extreme environment found in the central molecular cloud zone (CMZ) of the Milky Way.
In other words, this molecular cloud is not just a mass of gas, but has a dynamic structure like an active volcano that supplies material to the galaxy’s star-making factory .
The stars don’t just twinkle in the night sky; deep within the galaxy there is a dynamic drama of birth unfolding.
The newly discovered giant molecular cloud, M4.7-0.8, may be a new piece of the puzzle in unlocking the secrets of the structure of our galaxy and the birth of stars.