Star Formation
The formation of stars occurs within molecular clouds within which denser substructures themselves form. The star formation group works with observational data and compares these with numerical simulations and analytic models.Star Formation
Contact:James Di Francesco, Doug Johnstone, Helen Kirk, Brenda Matthews
Students:
- Dori Blakely
- Breanna Crompvoets
- Samuel Fielder
- Logan Francis
Image credit: Herschel Space Observatory / ESA
GAS and KEYSTONE Surveys
The GAS (Green Bank Ammonia Survey) and KEYSTONE Survey (KFPA Examinations of Young STellar Object Natal Environments) each required several hundred hours of observing using the 100m Green Bank Telescope to observe ammonia in star-forming clouds within our galaxy. The focus of GAS is the nearest molecular clouds which are primarily forming low mass stars, while KEYSTONE targets slightly more distant clouds which harbour more massive star formation. Ammonia is a good tracer of the cold and dense gas involved in forming stars and allows us to measure both gas motions and temperature. Complementary maps are available of the dust continuum in these same regions observed with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and the Herschel Space Observatory. This combination of observations allow us to better characterize and understand the conditions necessary for star formation across a range of environments.
Contact: James Di Francesco, Helen Kirk
Image: Ammonia, a tracer of star-forming gas, in the Orion Nebula as seen with the GBT (orange). Background in blue is a WISE telescope infrared image showing the dust in the region. Image credit: GBO/AUI/NSF
