A false-color far-infrared image of the star forming region W43; the contours are for molecular gas density. The subregion MM1 located just left of center in not conspicuous in the image but is the site of massive star formation and fragmentation. A new study has mapped the magnetic fields in this region, and found they are not strong enough to prevent further gravitational collapse. Credit: ESA/Herschel and L.Q. Nguyen et al
Star forming molecular clump W43-MM1 is very massive and dense, containing about 2100 solar masses of material in a region only 1/3 of a light year across (for comparison, the nearest star to the Sun is a bit over four light years away)...
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