Astronomers using the Spektr-RG orbital observatory have discovered that the young star cluster Westerlund 2 is emitting powerful X-ray beams. This is because the stellar winds collide and the electrons are accelerated to very high energies. The discovery was made by Russian astrophysicists and may help us understand the nature of galactic cosmic rays.
Westerlund 2 is a cluster of young stars in the constellation Carina, located 20,000 light-years from Earth. It has caught the attention of astrophysicists because of its young, bright stars – stellar winds millions of times stronger than the solar wind – that hurl streams of matter into interstellar space.
The researchers found that the X-ray emission in Westerlund 2 comes not only from the plasma heated by the collision of the winds, but also from electrons and positrons accelerated to ultrahigh energies. This important discovery could help decipher the origin of galactic cosmic rays.
Source: Ferra
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