Magnetic Fields: Moving the Clouds in Cygnus-X?
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Monday, June 13, 2022
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Two of its clouds DR21 and W75N clearly have separate gas velocities, but which cloud is in front of the other, and whether or not the two clouds are colliding, are open questions.
Key Points:
- Two of its clouds DR21 and W75N clearly have separate gas velocities, but which cloud is in front of the other, and whether or not the two clouds are colliding, are open questions.
- Dan Clemens, an astronomer at Boston University, is the principal investigator on a project using SOFIA to examine Cygnus-X and the effects of magnetic fields on its clouds and cloud filaments.
- Most modern theories of star formation hint that magnetic fields may be channeling gas flows within molecular clouds toward a central hub, where massive star formation occurs.
- The SOFIA observations will reveal the magnetic fields in filaments within the clouds, helping to verify the idea that fine, weak magnetic fields can control how stars form.