Astronomical

Evolution of a Protostar

Evolution of the temperature and density structure in the protostellar accretion phase after the protostar formation. The rapid accretion of dense gas cloud (white contour) constricts an expansion of the photoionized region (red) which is possible to shut off the gas accretion. (Credit: Takashi Hosokawa)

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Astronomical

Forming a Massive Star

Projected density distributions of dark matter (background and top panel) and gas (bottom three panels) components when the massive star forms. The stellar cradle is extremely asymmetrical as a wide, wedge-shaped structure (middle panel) due to the initial supersonic gas motions left over from the Big Bang. The circle in the right panel indicates the gravitationally unstable region with mass of 26,000 solar-masses. (Credit: Shingo Hirano)

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Astronomical

Binaries over Mauna Kea (still frame from animation)

This image shows several of the binaries from this study, each orbiting around its center of mass, which is marked by an ‘x.’ Colors indicate surface temperatures, from warmest to coolest: gold, red, magenta, or blue. The background image is a map of the entire sky visible from Hawaii and a silhouette of Mauna Kea (home of Keck Observatory and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, where this study was conducted over the past decade). Each binary is shown roughly where it is located in the night sky.

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Astronomical

Supermassive Sphere Brightens Post-Impact

In this second artist's impression a huge sphere in the center of a galaxy is shown after a star has collided with it. Enormous amounts of heat and a dramatic increase in the brightness of the sphere are generated by this event. The lack of observation of such flares from the center of galaxies means that this hypothetical scenario is almost completely ruled out. (Mark A. Garlick/CfA) 

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Astronomical

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