The Jülich Simulation and Data Lab Astronomy and Astrophysics

Questions like the origin of the Earth, the Sun or the entire Universe are fascinating for many people. Astronomers and astrophysicists try to answer these questions by observing the sky and performing computer simulations.
The Jülich Supercomputing Center (JSC) supports astronomers and astrophysicists in this task when the local computing powers at their institutes do not suffice. It hosts big data projects and simulations requiring the use of high-performance computers. The Simulation and Data Lab Astronomy and Astrophysics helps researchers, for example, to decide which code and supercomputer are the best matches for conducting the envisaged simulation. However, the JSC also performs its research in this field.
The main research interest of the group of Prof. Dr Susanne Pfalzner is the formation of stars and planets. In the video, we see an example of their work. It shows that the young Sun surrounded by a disc of the material from which eventually the planets formed. There are several indications that the close flyby of another star might have perturbed this disc. The simulation shows how such a close flyby would have strongly influenced the orbits of the outer disc material. Many objects would have been flung out far into space on eccentric orbits. While the outer solar system would have been completely restructured, the inner solar system, including our Earth, would have remained undisturbed. The predictions resulting from these simulations will soon be testable with upcoming new telescopes.

[@aisudo4015]

wow, useful information. never had idea how planets/solar system use to form. I thought some kind of big bang explosion happens and solar systems form. Thanks for the videp