Saturday Morning: The Substance of Ourselves IGNATIAN SILENT RETREAT Fr Chris Corbally, B.J.A & Dr Aileen O’Donoghue, S.K.P.J.G.P September 23 – 25, 2011 © Copyright, Dr Aileen O’Donoghue, St Lawrence University Evening Came … “As the universe expanded and cooled, darkness descended, © Copyright, Dr Aileen O’Donoghue, St Lawrence University …And Morning Followed “Then light dawned anew with the formation of the first stars Each star is a nuclear furnace where matter is coaxed into releasing a little of the energy it inherited from the primordial fireball.” Timothy Ferris The Creation of the Universe © Copyright, Dr Aileen O’Donoghue, St Lawrence University Starbirth Interstellar clouds collapse under gravity and fragment into a cluster of denser clouds that continue collapsing © Copyright, Dr Aileen O’Donoghue, St Lawrence University Starbirth Interstellar cloud fragments collapse under gravity to form stars © Copyright, Dr Aileen O’Donoghue, St Lawrence University Starbirth Regions Orion Nebula Hot, giant stars illuminate nebula … lots of UV! Thick, dusty disks protect forming stars & planetary systems © Copyright, Dr Aileen O’Donoghue, St Lawrence University Starbirth In The Eagle Nebula Tarazed Delphinus Altair Aquila Ophiuchus Antares Sagittarius (The Teapot) Canton’s southern sky at pm, September 15 or pm, October 15 Scorpius © Copyright, Dr Aileen O’Donoghue, St Lawrence University Starbirth In The Eagle “Pillars of Creation” Image from Russ Kerr’s Majesty of Birds website:www.magestyofbirds.com © Copyright, Dr Aileen O’Donoghue, St Lawrence University Solar System Formation Planets form from debris around star © Copyright, Dr Aileen O’Donoghue, St Lawrence University Forming Solar Systems Disks of gas and dust surrounding forming stars form planets, moons, etc © Copyright, Dr Aileen O’Donoghue, St Lawrence University