The nearest and oldest Orio nebula

2007/12/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Astronomia

The Orio nebula is 20% closer to Earth than previously imagined, at 1,270 light years, according to recent measurements by a group from the University of California.

Measurements have been made using a 10-radio telescope system in North America, called the Very Long Baseline Array. The distance between the farthest radio telescopes is 8,000 kilometers and all work together, so the radio telescope system is like a giant telescope. The resolution offered by this system has not been reached with any other telescope.

Since the distance of stars to Earth is used to calculate clarity (and therefore age), the only conclusion that emerges from these results is not that the Orio nebula is closer than previously thought, but is also older than previously thought.