ALMA has PHANGS: Mapping Star-Forming Regions in Galaxies

27 January, 2020 / Read time: 1 minute

In this short video we can see the results of the PHANGS (Physics of High Angular Resolution in Nearby Galaxies) project, which seeks to harness the incredible power of ALMA to solve some of the mysteries of star formation.

In this study, a scientific team observed 100,000 star-forming regions (also called 'incubators') in 74 nearby spiral galaxies. The images presented correspond to the mapping of carbon monoxide clouds in these galaxies, a very abundant gas in star incubators.

Thanks to these observations, it was possible to obtain detailed information about the location, brightness, small internal structures and the velocity of displacement of these regions.

Credits: National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO)