This is actually known as the Ghost of the Cepheus Flare. The Cepheus Flare is a molecular cloud about 1200 lightyears away. This "ghost" is actually a 2-lightyear-wide dust cloud at the very edge of the flare, seen by reflected starlight. The bulges in the cloud's shape are nebula regions; the section of dust on the far right of the image is collapsing in on itself, and is likely in the first stages of forming a binary star.
Hahaha cute idea! I wonder how they know that the dust cloud is collapsing? Perhaps by measuring redshift of spectral lines due to the rest of the cloud? And I wonder how they guess that it's forming a binary star?
ReplyDeleteThere appears to be a paper associated with this: http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/0910/0910.1894v1.pdf
ReplyDeleteIt looks like they're using spectrosopy to estimate luminosities and temperatures, and then use those to find age and distance. I'm not quite sure how they identified some as binaries; it might just come from the estimated distances between stars or star'forming regions.