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Collection:
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NASA Hubble Space Telescope Collection
Collection
NASA Hubble Space Telescope Collection
Collection
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Title:
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Hubble Finds One of the Smallest Stars in the Universe
Title
Hubble Finds One of the Smallest Stars in the Universe
Title
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Object Name:
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Gl 623b
Object_Name
Gl 623b
Object Name
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Object Name:
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Gliese 623b
Object_Name
Gliese 623b
Object Name
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Acknowledgement:
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Acknowledgement
Acknowledgement
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Fast Facts:
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note:
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*Image Type:*: Astronomical
note
*Image Type:*: Astronomical
note
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note:
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*Release Date*:December 21, 1994 12:00 AM (EST)
note
*Release Date*:December 21, 1994 12:00 AM (EST)
note
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note:
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*News Release Number:*: STScI-1994-54a
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*News Release Number:*: STScI-1994-54a
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note:
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*Title*:Hubble Finds One of the Smallest Stars in the Universe
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*Title*:Hubble Finds One of the Smallest Stars in the Universe
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note:
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note:
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*Description*:
This NASA Hubble Space Telescope picture resolves, for the first time, one of the smallest stars in our Milky Way Galaxy. Called Gliese 623b or Gl623b, the diminutive star (right of center) is ten times less massive than the Sun and 60,000 times fainter. (If it were as far away as the Sun, it would be only eight times brighter than the full Moon).
Located 25 light-years away in the constellation Hercules, Gl623b is the smaller component of a double star system, where the separation between the two members is only twice the distance between Earth and the Sun (approximately 200 million miles). The small star completes one orbit about its larger companion every four years.
Gl623b was first detected, indirectly, from astrometric observations that measured the wobble of the primary star due to the gravitational pull of its smaller, unseen companion. However, the star is too dim and too close to its companion star to be seen by ground-based telescopes. Hubble s view is sharp enough to separate the small star from its companion.
The new Hubble observations will allow astronomers to measure the intrinsic brightness and mass of Gl623b. This will lead to a better understanding of the formation and evolution of the smallest stars currently known. Red dwarf stars were once thought to be the most abundant stars in the Milky Way, and thus possibly a solution to the mystery of the Galaxy's "dark matter." However, recent Hubble observations show that these low mass stars are surprisingly rare.
The image was taken in visible light on June 11, 1994, with the European Space Agency s Faint Object Camera.
note
*Description*:
This NASA Hubble Space Telescope picture resolves, for the first time, one of the smallest stars in our Milky Way Galaxy. Called Gliese 623b or Gl623b, the diminutive star (right of center) is ten times less massive than the Sun and 60,000 times fainter. (If it were as far away as the Sun, it would be only eight times brighter than the full Moon).
Located 25 light-years away in the constellation Hercules, Gl623b is the smaller component of a double star system, where the separation between the two members is only twice the distance between Earth and the Sun (approximately 200 million miles). The small star completes one orbit about its larger companion every four years.
Gl623b was first detected, indirectly, from astrometric observations that measured the wobble of the primary star due to the gravitational pull of its smaller, unseen companion. However, the star is too dim and too close to its companion star to be seen by ground-based telescopes. Hubble s view is sharp enough to separate the small star from its companion.
The new Hubble observations will allow astronomers to measure the intrinsic brightness and mass of Gl623b. This will lead to a better understanding of the formation and evolution of the smallest stars currently known. Red dwarf stars were once thought to be the most abundant stars in the Milky Way, and thus possibly a solution to the mystery of the Galaxy's "dark matter." However, recent Hubble observations show that these low mass stars are surprisingly rare.
The image was taken in visible light on June 11, 1994, with the European Space Agency s Faint Object Camera.
note
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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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Earth
facet_what
Earth
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Faint Object Camera
facet_what
Faint Object Camera
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Moon
facet_what
Moon
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Visible Light
facet_what
Visible Light
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Saturn
facet_what
Saturn
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Hercules
facet_what
Hercules
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
facet_what
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
facet_what
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facet_what:
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stars
facet_what
stars
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Milky Way Galaxy
facet_where
Milky Way Galaxy
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Saturn
facet_where
Saturn
facet_where
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facet_when:
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December 21, 1994
facet_when
December 21, 1994
facet_when
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facet_when:
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June 11, 1994
facet_when
June 11, 1994
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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1994
facet_when_year
1994
facet_when_year
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UID:
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SPD-HUBBLE-STScI-199 4-54a
UID
SPD-HUBBLE-STScI-199 4-54a
UID
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original url:
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original_url
original url
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Release Date:
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December 21, 1994 12:00 AM (EST)
Release_Date
December 21, 1994 12:00 AM (EST)
Release Date
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