Tag: Chandra

The acceleration of cosmic rays in supernova remnants depends on the interaction with the surrounding medium. The study: “Time evolution of the synchrotron X-ray emission in Kepler’s SNR: the effects of turbulence and shock velocity” of V. Sapienza (UNIPA/INAF-OAPA) appeared on ApJ

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The role of supernova remnants (expanding clouds produced by supernovae) in the acceleration of cosmic rays (high-energy particles present in various astrophysical environments) has been known since 1995. The discovery, made by astronomers from Kyoto University, was made possible by identifying the presence of non-thermal X-ray emission in the supernova remnant SN 1006. X-rays are a type of high-energy radiation

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X-ray analysis of the Wolf Rayet of Westerlund 1. The study: “EWOCS-II: X-ray properties of the Wolf-Rayet stars in the young Galactic super star cluster Westerlund 1” of K. Anastasopoulou (INAF-OAPA/CfA) appeared on A&A

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Massive stars live short and violent lives. Mainly during the later stages of their evolution, these stars undergo significant changes in their structure and lose a large fraction of their initial mass into the surrounding environment as stellar winds. In particular, during the Wolf-Rayet phase, which lasts only a few hundred thousand years, massive stars eject their outer layers, which

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Superfast fragments and X-ray emission in the supernova remnant SN 1006. The study: “Indication of a fast ejecta fragment in the atomic cloud interacting with the southwestern limb of SN 1006” of R. Giuffrida (UNIPA/INAF) appeared on A&A

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Supernova remnants, which are nebulae produced by explosion of supernovae and undergoing rapid expansion, typically serve as intense sources of high-energy radiation, particularly in the form of X-ray emissions. This radiation can be of two different types: thermal and non-thermal. Thermal radiation is emitted by dense material and is contingent upon the temperature of the emitting gas. To emit X-rays,

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The super star cluster Westerlund 1 observed in X-rays. The study: “EWOCS-I: The catalog of X-ray sources in Westerlund 1 from the Extended Westerlund 1 and 2 Open Clusters Survey” of M. G. Guarcello (INAF-OAPA) recently appeared on A&A

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Stellar clusters are important targets for studying stellar evolution and, in the case of the youngest star clusters, the products of the star and planet formation processes. Our galaxy hosts a rich population of young stellar clusters, typically with masses of a few hundred solar masses. In the solar neighborhood, for instance, there are only a few young clusters with

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Young stars in massive star-forming regions. The results of the “Chandra Cygnus OB2 Legacy Survey” recently published

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Today in the Milky Way, star formation typically occurs in low-mass environments. Young star clusters (e.g., younger than 10 million years), in fact, typically have a mass of a few hundred solar masses. Nevertheless, our Galaxy hosts a few very massive star-forming regions that can produce tens to hundreds of thousands of stars, including some of the most massive stars

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Two cycles, two programs. The astronomers of the INAF – OAPA will study the star formation in extreme environments wth JWST

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The formation of stars and planets results from the complex interplay of various factors and agents: the collapse of the cloud due to its own gravitational force, its internal turbulence and magnetic effects, the evolution of star clusters formed within, and the interactions among young stars within these clusters, as well as the influence of their radiation on the surrounding

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Predictions on the observability of the neutron star in SN1987A. The study: “Investigating the Time Evolution of the Thermal Emission from the Putative Neutron Star in SN 1987A for 50+ Years” of A. Dohi (Kyushu University) appeared on ApJ

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SN1987A, located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, is an object of great importance for the study of supernovae and supernova remnants. In fact, it is the only supernova that has occurred recently and is close enough to allow us to obtain detailed observations across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. SN1987A was a core-collapse supernova, resulting from the collapse of the core

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The binary fraction in Cepheids revealed by X-ray observations. The paper: “X-Rays in Cepheids: Identifying Low-mass Companions of Intermediate-mass Stars” of N. R. Evans (SAO) recently appeared on ApJ

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Cepheids are important stars for the well-known relation between the period of their pulsations and their intrinsic luminosities. These stars are in fact characterized by regular pulsations whose period increases linearly with their absolute magnitude. Cepheids have a mass of about 5 solar masses, thus their progenitors are B stars in Main Sequence. However, their evolutionary path can be affected

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Supernova remnants as particle accelerators. The study: “The supernova remnant SN 1006 as a Galactic particle accelerator” of R. Giuffrida (UniPA/INAF-OAPA) recently appeared on Nature Communication

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Our planet is constantly bombarded by energetic particles (mainly protons) called “cosmic rays“. The study of cosmic rays is a leading science topic given its importance in several fields, such as the study of the effects on instrumentation and astronauts in space, where the natural protection against these particles provided by the magnetic field of Earth is low or null.

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Completed the Chandra/ACIS-I observations of the starburst cluster Westerlund 1 as part of the EWOCS (Extended Westerlund One Chandra Survey) project.

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The amount of gas that is converted into stars by the star formation process is described by the star formation rate. For instance, in the Milky Way today between 0.7 and 1.5 solar masses of gas are converted into stars each year. However, this a mean value across our Galaxy, since locally clouds can start forming stars at higher rates

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