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

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

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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The program “Testing protoplanetary disk evolution and brown dwarf formation in starburst: NIRCAM and MIRI observations of the young cluster Westerlund 1” of M. G. Guarcello (INAF – OAPA) is among the accepted proposals of the JWST Cycle 1

The James Webb Telescope (JWST) will be the most complex and powerful telescope ever launched into space. Built by a consortium formed by NASA, ESA, and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), thanks to its primary mirror with a diameter of 6.5 meters (for comparison, the mirror of the Hubble Space Telescope has a diameter of 2.5 meters) and its four

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