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Collection:
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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Collection
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Collection
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Title:
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LkHa101: The Hole in the Doughnut
Title
LkHa101: The Hole in the Doughnut
Title
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Explanation:
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You'd need a really big cup of coffee with this doughnut [ http://www.physics.…doughnut.html ] ... because the hole in the middle is about a billion kilometers across. Centered on the Sun, a circle that size would lie between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. In fact, this doughnut is known to surround a massive newborn star cataloged as LkHa 101 which lies in the constellation Perseus [ http://www.allthesk…constell.html ]. Imaged in infrared light [ http://cfa-www.harv…], the tantalizing torus-shaped cloud of gas and dust [ http://stardust.wus…] is slightly tilted to our view. The cloud's material may well be the ingredients for the formation of a distant solar system [ http://www.spaceart…]. A bright source of ultraviolet light [ http://imagine.gsfc…multiwavelength.html ], the hot young star itself is much fainter in the infrared and so not visible in this picture. Still, the star's presence is indicated as its intense stellar wind and radiation has apparently carved out the doughnut's hole. This premier close-up of a stellar system in formation was accomplished by adapting a powerful observational technique called interferometry [ http://www.sciam.co…] to planet Earth's largest single mirror telescope, the 10 meter Keck [ http://www2.keck.ha…].
Explanation
You'd need a really big cup of coffee with this doughnut [ http://www.physics.…doughnut.html ] ... because the hole in the middle is about a billion kilometers across. Centered on the Sun, a circle that size would lie between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. In fact, this doughnut is known to surround a massive newborn star cataloged as LkHa 101 which lies in the constellation Perseus [ http://www.allthesk…constell.html ]. Imaged in infrared light [ http://cfa-www.harv…], the tantalizing torus-shaped cloud of gas and dust [ http://stardust.wus…] is slightly tilted to our view. The cloud's material may well be the ingredients for the formation of a distant solar system [ http://www.spaceart…]. A bright source of ultraviolet light [ http://imagine.gsfc…multiwavelength.html ], the hot young star itself is much fainter in the infrared and so not visible in this picture. Still, the star's presence is indicated as its intense stellar wind and radiation has apparently carved out the doughnut's hole. This premier close-up of a stellar system in formation was accomplished by adapting a powerful observational technique called interferometry [ http://www.sciam.co…] to planet Earth's largest single mirror telescope, the 10 meter Keck [ http://www2.keck.ha…]. Explanation
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Credit and Copyright:
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Credit_and_Copyright
Credit and Copyright
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keyword:
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star formation
keyword
star formation
keyword
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keyword:
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infrared
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keyword:
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dust cloud
keyword
dust cloud
keyword
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keyword:
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doughnuts
keyword
doughnuts
keyword
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keyword:
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extrasolar system
keyword
extrasolar system
keyword
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facet_where:
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Mars
facet_where
Mars
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Hawaii
facet_where
Hawaii
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jupiter
facet_where
Jupiter
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Sydney
facet_where
Sydney
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_where
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Washington, D.C.
facet_where
Washington, D.C.
facet_where
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facet_what:
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Earth
facet_what
Earth
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Sun
facet_what
Sun
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Mars
facet_what
Mars
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Jupiter
facet_what
Jupiter
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Stardust
facet_what
Stardust
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Perseus
facet_what
Perseus
facet_what
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facet_what:
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ASTRON
facet_what
ASTRON
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Keck Observatory
facet_what
Keck Observatory
facet_what
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original url:
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original_url
original url
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UID:
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SPD-APOD-ap010302
UID
SPD-APOD-ap010302
UID
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