The all-new Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) makes it possible to detect highly sensitive millimeter light emitted by dense gas in the nearby starburst galaxy M82.
Astronomers were able to capture never-seen-before details of M82, a nearby starburst galaxy with the help of the new National Science Foundation's Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT), according to a press release.
The high-frequency telescope revealed minute details like material streamers escaping from the disk of the galaxy. It also showed concentrations of dense molecular gas around star formation
"With this new vision, we were able to look at M82 to explore how the distribution of molecular gas in the galaxy corresponded to areas of intense star formation," said Amanda Kepley, a post-doctoral fellow at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Green Bank, West Virginia, and lead author of the study. "Having this new capability may help us understand why stars form where they do."
Starburst galaxies produce new stars nearly hundred times faster than the Milky Way and M82 is a perfect example. The galaxy is located in the constellation Ursa Major, 12 million light years away from Earth. This is considered to be relatively closer to Earth, which makes it ideal for the GBT to observe. It also makes it easier for the telescope's newly equipped "W-Band" receiver to track light emission from the galaxy. The receiver is programmed to detect millimeter wavelength light emitted by molecular gas, making GBT the world's largest single-dish, millimeter-wave telescope.
Up until now, it was difficult to make such observations. Telescopes were not able to detect the feeble shine emitted by molecules of dense gases like HCN (hydrogen cyanide) and HCO+ (formylium).
"The GBT data clearly show billowing concentrations of dense molecular gas huddled around areas that are undergoing bursts of intense star formation," said Kepley. "They also reveal giant outflows of ionized gas fleeing the disk of the galaxy. These outflows are driven by star formation deep within the galaxy."
Dense molecular gas has always been associated with star formation though researchers are yet to provide a proper explanation for this link. However, one thing they know for sure is that this relationship is different in different galaxies. Making more observations like those made by GBT can help researchers get a better understanding of this complex connection.
