Westerhout 51

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Westerhout 51
Nebula
SagittariusCC.jpg
Wetserhout 51 is located in the constellation of Sagittarius
Observation data
Distance17,000  ly
Constellation Sagittarius
Notable featuresIntense star formation
See also: Lists of nebulae

Westerhout 51, or simply W51, is a massive star formation region located in the Milky Way galaxy located 17,000 light years from Earth in the constellation of Sagittarius. It is one of the most active regions of star formation in the galaxy, forming many O-type stars. It can be split up into three points of interest: two star formation regions named W51A and W51B, along with a supernova remnant named W51C. The region has copious amounts of molecular gas totaling ~6x10^5 solar masses. Much of the gas has been observed traveling up to 20 kilometers per second. [1]

Contents

The region is almost invisible in visible light despite the equivalent of 20 million suns in emissions. This is due to large amounts of interstellar gas blocking the light, making it visible only in radio and infrared light. [2]

Components

W51A

Westerhout 51A is a star formation region within W51. Towards its center there is a Hll region known as G49.5-0.4. Another region known as G49.57−0.27 is located ~15 parsecs north. W51A contains two notable bright star clusters named IRS 1 and IRS 2. Also within W51A are four concentrated clumps of gas all within a relatively small area of 5 parsecs. [1]

This region came as a result of collisions between molecular clouds over a scale of 0.1 million years. This lead to massive amounts of star formation. [1]

W51B

This is a star formation region located in Westerhout 51. [3]

W51C

This is a supernova remnant located in Westerhout 51. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Fujita, Shinji; Torii, Kazufumi; Kuno, Nario; Nishimura, Atsushi; Umemoto, Tomofumi; Minamidani, Tetsuhiro; Kohno, Mikito; Yamagishi, Mitsuyoshi; Tosaki, Tomoka; Matsuo, Mitsuhiro; Tsuda, Yuya; Enokiya, Rei; Tachihara, Kengo; Ohama, Akio; Sano, Hidetoshi (2021-01-01). "Massive star formation in W51 A triggered by cloud–cloud collisions". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. 73 (Supplement_1): S172 –S200. doi:10.1093/pasj/psz028. ISSN   0004-6264.
  2. ↑ "W51". www.spitzer.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  3. 1 2 "W51". astro.vaporia.com. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
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