Lynx Arc

The Lynx arc (English Lynx Arc ) was discovered in 2003 at the Keck Observatory and is considered the hottest yet discovered star-forming region of the Universe (2003 ).

It is located in the constellation Lynx, about 12 billion light years ( z = 3.357 ) from Earth, 8 million times further away than the Orion Nebula and is a million times brighter than this. In the Lynx arc are estimated to kill over one million Blue Giant ( comparison Orion Nebula: 4 Blue Giant ).

The discovery was made during a systematic search with the help of a gravitational lens. As a gravitational lens, a 4.5 billion light years from Earth distant galaxies cluster ( RX J0848 4456, z = 0.570 ). In addition to the Keck Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope and ROSAT were involved in the search.

The temperature of the stellar surfaces in the Lynx arc is 80.000 ° C approximately twice the previously known stars in our vicinity. Only the first stars after the creation of the universe are even hotter estimated at 120,000 ° C. Due to the distance to the Lynx arc gives a glimpse of the past 12 billion years ago, long before our solar system existed. At this time, the universe was 2 billion years old. The first stars in the universe formed 1.8 billion years before the Lynx arc.

Swell

• M. W. Keck Observatory ( English)
• Solstation.com (English)
• ESA ( English)

• H II region