Top: image of the JCMT with the Orion constellation highlighted (image credit William Montgomerie). Middle: N2H+ maps obtained with the Nobeyama telescope with 850 micon JCMT/SCUBA-2 contours overlaid. In the Middle image the team identified a number of dense cores. Bottom: The ALMA-Morita Array reveals two different substructures within each dense core. Bottom left: multiple stars are seen being formed in the early starless core phase (source G211). Bottom right: a mysterious pair of eyes appear to peer out from the disk around the newly forming star – these highlight rich chemistry occurring in the disk of this newly forming star (Results presented in Tatematsu et al. 2020).
The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope on Maunakea has given us a unique look at the early stages of star formation. An international team of astronomers performed a survey observing over 3,500 sites within our Milky Way galaxy, known as dense cores, where stars are believed to be on the cusp of formation. They locate the exact sites of near-future star formation by looking for a special kind of hydrogen, known as Deuterium. Within their survey, two exciting treasures were discovered, including a multiple star system on the cusp of formation, as well as a rare glimpse of a baby star heating up its surrounding material and undergoing a chemical change. These new results give us important clues to understand how stars start to form.
Read more in the JCMT press release.