Coalsack's future

[Tom Mazanec]

Will the Coalsack condense into a star cluster? Or is there some reason it can't?

[CJSF]

Will the Coalsack condense into a star cluster? Or is there some reason it can't?

No. I think partly because it's primarily made of dust and not hydrogen gas.

CJSF

[grant hutchison]

Statement from the European Southern Observatory, a few years ago:

Millions of years in the future the Coalsack’s dark days will come to an end. Thick interstellar clouds like the Coalsack contain lots of dust and gas — the fuel for new stars. As the stray material in the Coalsack coalesces under the mutual attraction of gravity, stars will eventually light up, and the coal “nuggets” in the Coalsack will "combust", almost as if touched by a flame.

(From a search on the terms coalsack, nebula and future, and then a click on the first hit from an actual astronomical organization, rather than a science news aggregator site. Isn't the internet wonderful?)

Grant Hutchison

[Tom Mazanec]

I looked up some references for the Coalsack, but didn’t think of including ‘future’.
Thanks.

[Noclevername]

Shades of The Gripping Hand. They use a Coalsack ignition as a major plot device.

[grant hutchison]

I looked up some references for the Coalsack, but didn’t think of including ‘future’.
Thanks.

It's all in the search terms. (And you used the word "future" in your post title, which shows you were at least unconsciously aware of its importance.)

I was recently disappointed to discover that schoolchildren in my neck of the woods still seem to be given no education in appropriate choice of search terms, and instead seem to be encouraged to use natural language searches. That's at best a premature reliance on the ability of Google and its competitors to parse natural language into meaningful search terms, and at worst a recipe for wasted time and frustration.

Grant Hutchison

[Tom Mazanec]

stars will eventually light up, and the coal “nuggets” in the Coalsack will "combust", almost as if touched by a flame.

BTW, I assume this is a very loose analogy, and they do not actually oxidize :-)
Do they mean radiation pressure driving the dust away?

[Noclevername]

Do they mean radiation pressure driving the dust away?

Smoke from the fire, metaphorically and visually.

[CJSF]

Ok, so I apologize for giving incorrect information. I saw the main descriptor as "dust" and no immediate mention of gas. Live and learn.

CJSF

[grant hutchison]

stars will eventually light up, and the coal “nuggets” in the Coalsack will "combust", almost as if touched by a flame.

BTW, I assume this is a very loose analogy, and they do not actually oxidize :-)
Do they mean radiation pressure driving the dust away?

It's just a metaphor, albeit a laboured and clunky one.
Coal-sacks contain coal, which is put on coal fires and burns.
The Coalsack Nebula contains gas and dust which will eventually end up inside new stars, and stars are often said to "burn nuclear fuel".

Grant Hutchison

[grant hutchison]

Ok, so I apologize for giving incorrect information. I saw the main descriptor as "dust" and no immediate mention of gas. Live and learn.

Sorry, my post comes over as rude. That wasn't my intention.
Dark nebulae like the Coalsack contain a lot of hydrogen, and are classic birthplaces (another one of those damn metaphors) for stars. See this description at the University of Oregon, for instance.

Grant Hutchison

[CJSF]

Sorry, my post comes over as rude. That wasn't my intention.
Dark nebulae like the Coalsack contain a lot of hydrogen, and are classic birthplaces (another one of those damn metaphors) for stars. See this description at the University of Oregon, for instance.

Grant Hutchison

You didn't come across as rude at all. I am feeling mildly rueful I did not get complete information before answering the question. I'm grateful to you and others for coming in with the facts.

CJSF

[profloater]

It's all in the search terms. (And you used the word "future" in your post title, which shows you were at least unconsciously aware of its importance.)

I was recently disappointed to discover that schoolchildren in my neck of the woods still seem to be given no education in appropriate choice of search terms, and instead seem to be encouraged to use natural language searches. That's at best a premature reliance on the ability of Google and its competitors to parse natural language into meaningful search terms, and at worst a recipe for wasted time and frustration.

Grant Hutchison

That is true and having been searching a while, it is more than disappointing that Google now offers up advertisements and sponsored sites. In my experience it used to be a good search engine. But your point is very relevant, you have to choose words or phrases to play the system. The information is there behind the commerce.

[Tom Mazanec]

The article says this will take "millions of years".
Any guess as to how many megayears? Two? Five? Ten?

[grant hutchison]

Considerably more than that, I'd guess.
The Coalsack is relatively quiescent at present, with only a few hints of potential star forming regions.

Grant Hutchison

[chornedsnorkack]

How long does Tapia Globule 2 have left to become a star?