Artificial intelligence helped in creating a map of the distribution of molecular clouds
(ORDO NEWS) — Stars are formed from the coalescence of molecular gas and dust in space.
These molecular gases are so rarefied and cold that they are invisible to the human eye, but they emit weak radio waves that can be observed with radio telescopes.
When viewed from Earth, a large amount of matter is in front of and behind these molecular clouds, making it difficult to determine their physical properties.
The research team, led by Dr. Shinji Fujita of the Osaka Capital University Graduate School of Science, has identified about 140,000 molecular clouds in the Milky Way galaxy that are star-forming regions.
The scientists used large-scale data on carbon monoxide molecules observed in detail by the 45-meter Nobeyama radio telescope.
Using artificial intelligence, the research team estimated the distance to each of these molecular clouds, determined their size and mass, and successfully mapped their distribution.
“The results not only provide a bird’s-eye view of the galaxy, but will also help in various studies of star formation,” explained Dr. Fujita.
“In the future, we would like to expand the observation area with the 45-meter Nobeyama radio telescope and include data from the radio telescope observations of the sky in the southern hemisphere to obtain a complete map of the distribution of the entire Milky Way.”
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.
