Astronomers Map a Hypergiant Star's Massive Outbursts
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Astronomers Map a Hypergiant Star's Massive Outbursts
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General Information:
What is an American Astronomical Society Meeting release?
A major news announcement issued at an American Astronomical Society meeting, the premier astronomy conference.
Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the W.M. Keck Observatory, Kameula, Hawaii, astronomers have learned that the gaseous outflow from one of the brightest super-sized stars in the sky is more complex than originally thought.
The outbursts are from VY Canis Majoris, a red supergiant star that is also classified as a hypergiant because of its very high luminosity. The eruptions have formed loops, arcs, and knots of material moving at various speeds and in many different directions. The star has had many outbursts over the past 1,000 years as it nears the end of its life.
What is an American Astronomical Society Meeting release?
A major news announcement issued at an American Astronomical Society meeting, the premier astronomy conference.
Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the W.M. Keck Observatory, Kameula, Hawaii, astronomers have learned that the gaseous outflow from one of the brightest super-sized stars in the sky is more complex than originally thought.
The outbursts are from VY Canis Majoris, a red supergiant star that is also classified as a hypergiant because of its very high luminosity. The eruptions have formed loops, arcs, and knots of material moving at various speeds and in many different directions. The star has had many outbursts over the past 1,000 years as it nears the end of its life.
About the Object Object Name: VY Canis Majoris Object Description: Variable Star with Circumstellar Nebula Position (J2000): R.A. 07h 22m 58s.33 Dec. -25° 46' 3".2 Constellation: Canis Major Distance: Approximately 5,000 light-years (1.5 kiloparsecs) Dimensions: These images are roughly 35 arcseconds (0.85 light-years or 0.25 parsecs) across. About the Data Data Description: The Hubble image was created from HST data from proposals 7304: R. Humphreys, K. Davidson, T. Jones, and R. Gehrz (University of Minnesota) and J. Krautter and T. Szeifert (Landessternwarte, Heidelberg); and 10262: R. Humphreys and T. Jones (University of Minnesota), G. Herbig (University of Hawaii), and G. Wallerstein (University of Washington). Instrument: WFPC2 ACS/HFC Filters: F410M (Strömgren v), F656N (H-alpha), F547M (Strömgren y), and F1042M F658N ("R") (POL0V, POL60V, and POL120V) F550M ("V") (POL0V, POL60V, and POL120V) Exposure Date: March 22, 1999 and June 13, 2005 August 17, 2004 About the Image Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hub ble Collaboration Release Date: January 8, 2007 Color:
This image is a composite of many separate exposures made by the WFPC2 and ACS instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope using several different filters. Three filters were used to sample various wavelength ranges in each instrument. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic image. In this case, the assigned colors are:
Massive Star VY Canis Majoris - Visible Light
Fast_Facts
Technical facts about this news release:
About the Object Object Name: VY Canis Majoris Object Description: Variable Star with Circumstellar Nebula Position (J2000): R.A. 07h 22m 58s.33 Dec. -25° 46' 3".2 Constellation: Canis Major Distance: Approximately 5,000 light-years (1.5 kiloparsecs) Dimensions: These images are roughly 35 arcseconds (0.85 light-years or 0.25 parsecs) across. About the Data Data Description: The Hubble image was created from HST data from proposals 7304: R. Humphreys, K. Davidson, T. Jones, and R. Gehrz (University of Minnesota) and J. Krautter and T. Szeifert (Landessternwarte, Heidelberg); and 10262: R. Humphreys and T. Jones (University of Minnesota), G. Herbig (University of Hawaii), and G. Wallerstein (University of Washington). Instrument: WFPC2 ACS/HFC Filters: F410M (Strömgren v), F656N (H-alpha), F547M (Strömgren y), and F1042M F658N ("R") (POL0V, POL60V, and POL120V) F550M ("V") (POL0V, POL60V, and POL120V) Exposure Date: March 22, 1999 and June 13, 2005 August 17, 2004 About the Image Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hub ble Collaboration Release Date: January 8, 2007 Color:
This image is a composite of many separate exposures made by the WFPC2 and ACS instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope using several different filters. Three filters were used to sample various wavelength ranges in each instrument. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic image. In this case, the assigned colors are:
Massive Star VY Canis Majoris - Visible Light
Fast Facts
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*Release Date*:January 8, 2007 12:20 PM (EST)
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*Release Date*:January 8, 2007 12:20 PM (EST)
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*Title*:Astronomers Map a Hypergiant Star's Massive Outbursts
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*Title*:Astronomers Map a Hypergiant Star's Massive Outbursts
