SAGITTARIUS C (SGR C)

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured a stunning image of the dense center of the Milky Way galaxy with clarity never seen before.

Sagittarius C (Sgr C)

  • It is the star-forming region known situated approximately 300 light-years from the Milky Way’s central supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*.
  • It is revealing a bustling cluster of protostars within an infrared-dark cloud.
  • These nascent stars are in the process of accumulating mass, their outflows glowing intensely in the infrared spectrum, akin to embers in a cosmic bonfire.
  • The cloud that protostars are emerging from is so dense that the light from stars behind it cannot reach Webb.
  • Scattered throughout are smaller infrared-dark clouds, akin to celestial voids against the starry backdrop, signaling the birthplaces of future stars.
  • Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) has detected extensive emissions from ionised hydrogen on the periphery of the dark cloud, highlighted in a striking cyan hue.

Key facts about James Webb Space Telescope

  • It was built in collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency.
  • It was launched in December 2021.
  • It is presently at a point in space known as the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point.
  • Lagrange Point 2 is one of the five points in the orbital plane of the Earth-Sun system.
  • It’s the largest, most powerful infrared space telescope ever built.
  • Objectives: It will examine every phase of cosmic history, from the Big Bang to the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets to the evolution of our Solar System.

SOURCE: https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/heart-of-milky-way-galaxy-has-a-mysterious-structure-james-webb-telescope-2468011-2023-11-27

Spread the Word