The Frank G. and Jean M. Chesley Lectureship has invited Cornelia Lang to speak in the Physics and Astronomy Department on Thursday, Oct. 9th during common time (12:00-1:00 pm) in Olin 04. All physics students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend.
Observations of Giant Molecular Clouds in the Galactic Center: The Past, Current and Future of Star Formation
The center of the Milky Way harbors a supermassive black hole and is surrounded by clouds of dense gas, densely packed massive star clusters, and magnetic filaments that appear to be tracing a strong and well ordered magnetic field. This environment is much different than the environment near the Sun and is likely to be common in the centers of most normal galaxies. Therefore, understanding how these clouds remain stable, collapse and eventually form the next generation of stars is crucial to understanding how astrophysics works in this unique region of the Galaxy. I will describe the results of recent observations with the (upgraded) Very Large Array have revealed in great detail the physical conditions in a sample of molecular clouds that have formed stars in the past, are currently in the vicinity of massive stars and that might be forming massive stars in the future.
Click the ‘permalink’ for a link to a great article about the galactic center; it’s a suggested read before attending this noon talk.