Free Astronomy Magazine September-October 2024

Parallel disks and jets erupting from a pair of young stars byALMAObservatory Bárbara Ferreira ost of the Universe is invis- ible to the human eye. The buildingblocksofstarsare only revealed in wavelengths out- side the visible spectrum. Astronomersrecentlyusedtwovery different and powerful telescopes todiscovertwindisksandtwinpar- alleljetseruptingfromyoungstars inamultiple-starsystem.Thisdis- covery was unexpected and un- precedented, given the stars, disks, and jets’ age, size, and chemical makeup. Their location in a known, well-studied part of the Universe adds to the thrill. Atacama Large Millimeter/submil- limeter Array (ALMA) and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST)Mid-InfraredInstrument (MIRI) were combined for this re- search. ALMAandJWST’sMIRIobservevery different parts of the electromag- neticspectrum.Usingthemtogether allowed astronomers to discover thesetwins,hiddeninradioandin- frared wavelengths in star system WL20, located in the nearby rho Ophiuchimolecularcloudcomplex, أﻗﺮاصﻣﺘﻮاز ﺔ وﻧﻔﺎﺛﺎت ﺗﻨﺪﻟﻊﻣﻦ ﺛﻨﺎﺋﻲ ﻧ ﻤﻲ بﺎﺷ : ﻘﻠﻢ ﺎر ﺮا ﻓ ﺮا ﻣﺮﺻﺪ ﻣﺼﻔﻮﻓﺔ أﻟﻤﺎ اﻟﺮادﻳﻮي ﻣﻌﻈـﻢ اﻟﻜﻮن ﻏ ﻣﺮﺋﻲ ﻟﻠﻌ اﻟﺒﺸ ﺮﻳﺔ ـ و اﻟﻌﻨﺎﴏ اﻷﺳﺎﺳﻴﺔ ﻟﻠﻨﺠﻮم ﻻ ﺗﻈﻬـﺮ إﻻ ﰲ أﻃﻮال ﻣﻮﺟﻴﺔ ﺧﺎرج اﻟﻄﻴﻒ ا ﺮﺋﻲ . اﺳﺘﺨﺪم ﻋﻠﻤﺎء اﻟﻔﻠـﻚ ﻣـﺆﺧﺮ ا ﺗﻠﺴـﻜﻮﺑ ﻣﺨﺘﻠﻔ وﻗﻮﻳ ﻟﻠﻐﺎﻳﺔ ﻻﻛﺘﺸﺎف اﻷﻗﺮاص ا ﺰد وﺟﺔ واﻟﻨﻔﺎﺛﺎت ا ﺘﻮازﻳﺔ اﻟ ﺜﻨﺎﺋﻴﺔ اﻟﺘـﻲ ﺗﻨﻔﺠﺮ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻨﺠﻮم اﻟﺸﺎﺑﺔ ﰲ ﻧﻈﺎم ﻣﺘﻌـﺪد اﻟﻨﺠﻮم . ﻛﺎن ﻫﺬ ا اﻻﻛﺘﺸـﺎف ﻏـ ﻣﺘﻮﻗـﻊ وﻏـ ﻣﺴـﺒﻮق ﺑـﺎﻟﻨﻈ ﺮ إﱃ ﻋﻤـﺮ اﻟﻨﺠـﻮم واﻷﻗﺮاص واﻟﻨﻔﺎﺛﺎت وﺣﺠﻤﻬـﺎ وﺗﺮﻛﻴﺒﻬـﺎ واﻷﻗﺮاص واﻟﻨﻔﺎﺛﺎت وﺣﺠﻤ ﻬـﺎ وﺗﺮﻛﻴﺒﻬـﺎ اﻟﻜﻴﻤﻴـﺎﺋﻲ . إن ﻣﻮﻗﻌﻬـ ﺎ ﰲ ﺟـﺰء ﻣﻌـﺮوف وﻣ ﺪروسﺟﻴﺪ اً ﻣﻦ اﻟﻜﻮن ﻳﺰﻳﺪ ﻣﻦ اﻹﺛﺎرة . ﻟ ﻘــﺪ ﺗ ــﻢ دﻣــﺞ ﻣﺼــﻔﻮﻓﺔ أﺗﺎﻛﺎﻣ ــﺎ ا ﻠﻴﻤﱰﻳﺔ / ﺗﺤﺖ ا ﻠﻴﻤﱰﻳـﺔ اﻟﻜﺒـ ة أ ـﺎ ) ( وﺗﻠﺴﻜﻮب ﺟﻴﻤﺲ وﻳﺐ اﻟﻔﻀـﺎﺋﻲ اﻟﺘـﺎﺑﻊ ﻟﻮﻛﺎﻟﺔ ﻧﺎﺳﺎ ﰲ ﻫﺬا اﻟﺒﺤﺚ . ﻳﺮﺻﺪ ﻣﺮﺻﺪ أ ﺎ و ﻛﺎﻣ ا ( ﻣ ي ) ﻋﲆ ﻣﺘﻦ ﺗﻠﺴﻜﻮب وﻳﺐ اﻟﻔﻀﺎﺋﻲ أﺟﺰاء ﻣﺨﺘﻠﻔﺔ ﺟﺪ اً ﻣ ـﻦ اﻟﻄﻴ ـﻒ اﻟﻜﻬﺮوﻣﻐﻨﺎﻃﻴﴘـ . ﺳ ـﻤﺢ اﺳﺘﺨﺪاﻣﻬﺎ ﻣﻌًﺎ ﻟﻌﻠﻤـﺎء اﻟﻔﻠـﻚ ﺑﺎﻛﺘﺸـﺎف ﻣﻦ اﻟﻄﻴﻒ اﻟﻜﻬﺮوﻣﻐﻨﺎﻃﻴﴘ . ﻟﻘـﺪ ﺳـﻤﺢ اﺳﺘﺨﺪاﻣﻬﺎ ﻣﻌـ ﺎ ﻟﻌﻠﻤـﺎء اﻟﻔﻠـﻚ ﺑﺘﺤﻘﻴـﻖ اﻛﺘﺸﻔﺎت ﻟﻢ ﺗﻜﻦ ﻣﺮﺋﻴﺔ وﻣﻌﺮوﻓﺔ ﻣﻦ ﻗﺒﻞ وذﻟﻚ ﻣﻦ ﺧﻼل أﻃﻮال ا ﻮﺟـﺎت اﻟﺮادﻳﻮ ﻳـﺔ واﻷﺷﻌﺔ ﺗﺤﺖ اﻟﺤﻤﺮاء ﰲ اﻟﻨﻈـﺎم اﻟﻨﺠﻤـﻲ WL20 ا ﻮﺟﻮد ﰲ ﺗﺠﻤﻊ اﻟﺴﺤﺎﺑﺔ اﻟﺠﺰﻳﺌﻴﺔ ) رو أوﻓﻴﺘﴚ ( ا ﻌﻘﺪة اﻟﺘـﻲ ﻣﺴـﺎﻓﺔ ﺗﺒﻠـﻎ أﻛﺜﺮ ﻣﻦ 400 ﺳـﻨﺔ ﺿـﻮﺋﻴﺔ ﻣـﻦ اﻟﻨﻈـﺎم اﻟﺸﻤﴘ ﻟﻸرض . - ﺳﺒﺘﻤﺒﺮ ﺃﻛﺘﻮﺑﺮ 2 0 2 4