The center of our galaxy by the hand of ISO

2000/09/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Astronomia

The ISO telescope was withdrawn from ISO in 1998, but all the images he collected have not yet been fully analyzed.

One of the newly studied is the one that corresponds to half of the galaxy. There astronomers have been able to observe 100,000 unknown stars so far. The stars are of the "red giant" type, that is, very evolved, with a variable mass depending on the age and a large amount of dust rich in chemical elements. This dust was essential for the formation of planets and life, and part of the carbon of our body may be local.

On the other hand, these stars from the center of the galaxy can help discover how the Milky Way was formed. Although the center of our galaxy is a region of great interest, large amounts of dust and gases accumulated together make it invisible. Therefore, the images made by ISO are very valuable.