Unraveling the Birth of Massive Stars through 'Dragon Cloud' Observations
Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile have discovered a massive, cold clump of material in the heart of the "Dragon cloud" that is ready to form a single giant star, providing a rare glimpse into the mysterious process of how the most massive stars in the galaxy are born. The discovery supports the core accretion theory, which suggests that giant stars start out small but then suck up material from their surroundings, depriving any nearby stars of their own gas quickly enough before it becomes a star. The James Webb Space Telescope will be used to continue monitoring the Dragon cloud and to gain a better understanding of how the most massive stars in the galaxy begin their lives.