Astronomers have finally solved a longstanding cosmic mystery — why a super-dense gas cloud near our Milky Way galaxy's core isn't churning out many new stars.
The gas cloud, known as G0.253+0.016, is simply swirling too fast, researchers said.
It lacks the requisite pockets of even denser material, which eventually collapse under their own gravity to form stars.
The results suggest that star formation is more complex than astronomers had thought and may help them better understand the process, researchers said.
In this image, taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, the mysterious gas cloud G0.253+0.016 is the black object on the left. The Milky Way's center is the bright spot at right.
CREDIT: NASA/Spitzer/Benjamin et al., Churchwell
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