What is an American Astronomical Society Meeting release?
A major news announcement issued at an American Astronomical Society meeting, the premier astronomy conference.
By stretching the capabilities of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to the limit, astronomers have photographed the close companion of Polaris for the first time. This sequence of images shows that the North Star, Polaris is really a triple star system. These findings were presented today in a press conference at the 207th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Washington, D.C.
What is an American Astronomical Society Meeting release?
A major news announcement issued at an American Astronomical Society meeting, the premier astronomy conference.
By stretching the capabilities of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to the limit, astronomers have photographed the close companion of Polaris for the first time. This sequence of images shows that the North Star, Polaris is really a triple star system. These findings were presented today in a press conference at the 207th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Washington, D.C.
About the Object Object Name: Polaris, Alpha Ursae Minoris, North Star Object Description: Triple Star System Position (J2000): R.A. 02h 31m 49s.08 Dec. 89° 15' 50".8 Constellation: Ursa Minor Distance: The distance to the star system is 430 light-years or 132 parsecs. Dimensions: Polaris (star Aa) and star Ab are on average18.5 Astronomical Units from each other. Polaris (star Aa) and star B are on average 2,400 Astronomical Units from each other. About the Data Data Description: The Hubble image was created from HST data from proposal 10593: N.R. Evans (Harvard Smithsonian/CfA), H.E. Bond (STScI), G. Bono (INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma), M. Karovska (Harvard Smithsonian/CfA), E. Nelan (STScI), D.D. Sasselov (Harvard University), and G. Schaefer (STScI). Instrument: ACS/HRC Exposure Date(s): August 2/3, 2005 Filters: F220W (Near UV) About the Image Image Credit: NASA, ESA, N. Evans (Harvard Smithsonian/CfA), and H. Bond (STScI) Release Date: January 9, 2006 Orientation: Polaris A and Polaris B [ http://imgsrc.hubbl…]
Fast_Facts
Technical facts about this news release:
About the Object Object Name: Polaris, Alpha Ursae Minoris, North Star Object Description: Triple Star System Position (J2000): R.A. 02h 31m 49s.08 Dec. 89° 15' 50".8 Constellation: Ursa Minor Distance: The distance to the star system is 430 light-years or 132 parsecs. Dimensions: Polaris (star Aa) and star Ab are on average18.5 Astronomical Units from each other. Polaris (star Aa) and star B are on average 2,400 Astronomical Units from each other. About the Data Data Description: The Hubble image was created from HST data from proposal 10593: N.R. Evans (Harvard Smithsonian/CfA), H.E. Bond (STScI), G. Bono (INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma), M. Karovska (Harvard Smithsonian/CfA), E. Nelan (STScI), D.D. Sasselov (Harvard University), and G. Schaefer (STScI). Instrument: ACS/HRC Exposure Date(s): August 2/3, 2005 Filters: F220W (Near UV) About the Image Image Credit: NASA, ESA, N. Evans (Harvard Smithsonian/CfA), and H. Bond (STScI) Release Date: January 9, 2006 Orientation: Polaris A and Polaris B [ http://imgsrc.hubbl…]
Fast Facts
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*Image Type:*: Artwork
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*Image Type:*: Artwork
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*Release Date*:January 9, 2006 09:20 AM (EST)
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*Release Date*:January 9, 2006 09:20 AM (EST)
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*Title*:There's More to the North Star Than Meets the Eye
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*Title*:There's More to the North Star Than Meets the Eye
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*Description*:
This is a view from within the Polaris triple star system. The North Star, Polaris A is a bright supergiant variable star.
Just above Polaris is a small companion, Polaris Ab, which is 2 billion miles from Polaris. Much farther away, near the top of the illustration, is the wide companion Polaris B. Polaris B is located approximately 240 billion miles from Polaris A. The two companion stars are the same temperature as Polaris A, but are dwarf stars.
The wide companion star is visible in small telescopes. It was first noticed by William Herschel in 1780. The close companion, Polaris Ab was known to exist from measurements of a wobble in Polaris, caused by the gravitational tug of its companion, but has only been seen directly now using Hubble.
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*Description*:
This is a view from within the Polaris triple star system. The North Star, Polaris A is a bright supergiant variable star.
Just above Polaris is a small companion, Polaris Ab, which is 2 billion miles from Polaris. Much farther away, near the top of the illustration, is the wide companion Polaris B. Polaris B is located approximately 240 billion miles from Polaris A. The two companion stars are the same temperature as Polaris A, but are dwarf stars.
The wide companion star is visible in small telescopes. It was first noticed by William Herschel in 1780. The close companion, Polaris Ab was known to exist from measurements of a wobble in Polaris, caused by the gravitational tug of its companion, but has only been seen directly now using Hubble.
