The Planck science team released their early results today. While the mission’s main purpose is to study the Big Bang’s “light echo” (the cosmic microwave background, or CMB), it hasn’t yet compiled and analyzed enough data to report on CMB findings. However, as the satellite surveys the radio sky looking for leftover radiation from the Big Bang, it also observes the “stuff” between the CMB and us. On Tuesday the team announced discoveries found in that “stuff” at the January American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting.
The microwave sky as seen by Planck. ESA image
First, George Helou of the California Institute of Technology talked about really cold objects that are the precursors to baby stars. These “cores” are between 7 and 17 kelvin (that’s between about –447° and –429° Fahrenheit). When combining data from Planck and the earlier Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS, from some 2 decades prior), the scientists found about 10,000 cold cores. The Planck team performed follow-up observations on a number of these objects and found that they aren’t so much “cores” as they are “clumps” — the objects aren’t spherical.
The smallest of these cores measure about 1 light-year in size, which is comparable to the extent of the solar system’s Oort Cloud of icy bodies. These cores come before protostars in the star formation process. When asked what stage of human birth these objects can be compared to, Helou responded that they’re equivalent to the mother’s womb before anything has started to form … they’re early on in the star creation process. (As a side note, isn’t that a lovely comparison? I laughed when this question was posed.)
Another result from Planck is on the opposite end of the temperature spectrum. Elena Pierpaoli of the University of Southern California announced the discovery of a whole bunch of galaxy clusters (containing gas with temperatures of tens to hundreds of millions of degrees). The Planck sky survey detected 189 galaxy clusters, 12 of which have been confirmed as newly discovered clusters (and another 8 possible). The other 169 had been observed mainly in X-rays and optical radiation; this was the first time they were seen in radio.
The Planck researchers also gave AAS attendees a timeline for the mission’s CMB findings — we’ll have to wait another 2 years.
Midday, I attended a town hall meeting as a follow-up to the Astro2010 Decadal Survey. A panel of astronomers released this report in August; it provides recommendations for which projects should be the main focus of astronomers in the coming decade. This was a 2-year effort, which the survey panel clearly didn’t take lightly.
Much of the discussion in the town hall meeting focused on funding issues, especially given the current economy. And a number of undergraduate and graduate students asked about career options (how funding shortfalls might affect their futures). I actually found the meeting quite sobering. But, at the same time, it reminded me why what we at Astronomy magazine do is so important: We need to show why astronomy is so awesome, and why the public should care (and thus should pay for astronomical research). Actually, a student brought up the fact that science communication seems to be lacking.
So, dear readers, what do astronomy enthusiasts need to do better? What will help invigorate the field? How can we (the science journalists) explain the science clearer, what other modes/media do we need to involve? I’m interested to read your comments, which you can post below.
Related blogs:
AAS meeting: January 10, 2011
AAS meeting: January 9, 2011