Scientists Capture a Startling Outburst from a Baby Star

Scientists have caught an outburst from a baby star with the help of orbiting observatories and ground-based facilities. The findings reveal a bit more about this star, which is in the earliest stages of its development.

The young star is called HOPS 383. It first formed from within collapsing fragments of cold gas clouds. As the cloud contracted under its own gravity, its central region became denser and hotter. By the end of this process, the collapsing fragment transformed into a hot central protostar surrounding by a dusty disk roughly equal in mass, embedded in a dense envelope of gas in dust.

"HOPS 383 is the first outburst we've ever seen from a Class 0 object, and it appears to be the youngest protostellar eruption ever recorded," said William Fischer, one of the researchers, in a news release.

This Class 0 protostar is in a phase that's short-lived, lasting just 150,000 years. This phase is considered the earliest developmental stage for stars like the sun.

A protostar has not yet developed the energy-generating capabilities of a sun-like star, which fuses hydrogen into helium in its core. Instead, a protostar shines from the heat energy released by its contraction and by the accumulation of material from the disk of gas and dust surrounding it. The disk may one day even develop asteroids, comets and planets.

HOPS 383 is located near NGC 1977, a nebula in the constellation Orion. Located about 1,400 light-years away, the region is one of the most active star factories nearby, hosting a treasure trove of young, stellar objects.

"An outburst lasting this long rules out many possibilities, and we think HOPS 383 is best explained by a sudden increase in the amount of gas the protostar is accreting from the disk around it," said Fischer.

The findings are published in The Astrophysical Journal.

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