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Although the Sun is a star, its photosphere has a low enough temperature of 6,000 K (5,730 °C; 10,340 °F), and therefore molecules can form. Water has been found on the Sun, and there is evidence of H 2 in white dwarf stellar atmospheres. [2] [4] Cooler stars include absorption band spectra that are
A molecular cloud—sometimes called a stellar nursery if star formation is occurring within—is a type of interstellar cloud of which the density and size permit absorption nebulae, the formation of molecules (most commonly molecular hydrogen, H 2), and the formation of H II regions.
The spectrum of a class M star contains lines from oxide molecules (in the visible spectrum, especially TiO) and all neutral metals, but absorption lines of hydrogen are usually absent. TiO bands can be strong in class M stars, usually dominating their visible spectrum by about M5. Vanadium(II) oxide bands become present by late M.
The formation of stars is of particular interest. Research published in 2009 presents spectroscopic observations of so-called "young stellar objects" viewed in the Large Magellanic Cloud with the Spitzer Space Telescope. This research suggests that water, or, more specifically, ice, plays a large role in the formation of these eventual stars [3]
Westerhout 51 nebula in Aquila - one of the largest star factories in the Milky Way (August 25, 2020). Star formation is the process by which dense regions within molecular clouds in interstellar space—sometimes referred to as "stellar nurseries" or "star-forming regions"—collapse and form stars. [1]
Astrochemistry is the study of the abundance and reactions of molecules in the universe, and their interaction with radiation. [1] The discipline is an overlap of astronomy and chemistry . The word "astrochemistry" may be applied to both the Solar System and the interstellar medium .
The molecules listed below were detected through astronomical spectroscopy. Their spectral features arise because molecules either absorb or emit a photon of light when they transition between two molecular energy levels. The energy (and thus the wavelength) of the photon matches the energy difference between the levels involved.
In general then, molecules are found in cool astrophysical environments. The most massive objects in our galaxy are giant clouds of molecules and dust known as giant molecular clouds. In these clouds, and smaller versions of them, stars and planets are formed. One of the primary fields of study of molecular astrophysics is star and planet ...