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Collection:
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NASA Spitzer Space Telescope Collection
Collection
NASA Spitzer Space Telescope Collection
Collection
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Title:
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Red Giant Plunging Through Space
Title
Red Giant Plunging Through Space
Title
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Description:
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This image from the Spitzer Space Telescope (left panel) shows the "bow shock" of a dying star named R Hydrae (R Hya) in the constellation Hydra.
Bow shocks are formed where the stellar wind from a star are pushed into a bow shape (illustration, right panel) as the star plunges through the gas and dust between stars. Our own Sun has a bow shock, but prior to this image one had never been observed around this particular class of red giant star.
R Hya moves through space at approximately 50 kilometers per second. As it does so, it discharges dust and gas into space. Because the star is relatively cool, that ejecta quickly assumes a solid state and collides with the interstellar medium. The resulting dusty nebula is invisible to the naked eye but can be detected using an infrared telescope.
This bow shock is 16,295 AU from the star to the apex and 6,188 AU thick. 1 AU is the distance between the Sun and the Earth. The mass of the bow shock is about 400 times the mass of the Earth.
The false-color Spitzer image shows infrared emissions at 70 microns. Brighter colors represent greater intensities of infrared light at that wavelength. The location of the star itself is drawn onto the picture in the black "unobserved" region in the center.
Description
This image from the Spitzer Space Telescope (left panel) shows the "bow shock" of a dying star named R Hydrae (R Hya) in the constellation Hydra.
Bow shocks are formed where the stellar wind from a star are pushed into a bow shape (illustration, right panel) as the star plunges through the gas and dust between stars. Our own Sun has a bow shock, but prior to this image one had never been observed around this particular class of red giant star.
R Hya moves through space at approximately 50 kilometers per second. As it does so, it discharges dust and gas into space. Because the star is relatively cool, that ejecta quickly assumes a solid state and collides with the interstellar medium. The resulting dusty nebula is invisible to the naked eye but can be detected using an infrared telescope.
This bow shock is 16,295 AU from the star to the apex and 6,188 AU thick. 1 AU is the distance between the Sun and the Earth. The mass of the bow shock is about 400 times the mass of the Earth.
The false-color Spitzer image shows infrared emissions at 70 microns. Brighter colors represent greater intensities of infrared light at that wavelength. The location of the star itself is drawn onto the picture in the black "unobserved" region in the center.
Description
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Release Date:
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2006/11/30
Release_Date
2006/11/30
Release Date
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Release Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Ueta (Univ. of Denver)
Release_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Ueta (Univ. of Denver)
Release Credit
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Image Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Ueta (Univ. of Denver)
Image_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Ueta (Univ. of Denver)
Image Credit
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Image Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle (SSC)
Image_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle (SSC)
Image Credit
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Object name:
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R Hydrae
Object_name
R Hydrae
Object name
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Object name:
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R Hya
Object_name
R Hya
Object name
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Object name:
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HD 117287
Object_name
HD 117287
Object name
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Object name:
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AAVSO 1324-22
Object_name
AAVSO 1324-22
Object name
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Object type:
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Asymptotic Giant Branch Star
Object_type
Asymptotic Giant Branch Star
Object type
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Position (J2000):
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*RA: *13h29m43.80s *Dec: *-23d16m53.00s
Position_(J2000)
*RA: *13h29m43.80s *Dec: *-23d16m53.00s
Position (J2000)
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Distance:
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538 light-years (165 parsecs)
Distance
538 light-years (165 parsecs)
Distance
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Constellation:
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Hydra
Constellation
Hydra
Constellation
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Wavelength:
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70 microns
Wavelength
70 microns
Wavelength
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Image scale:
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14 x 14 arcminutes
Image_scale
14 x 14 arcminutes
Image scale
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Observers:
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T. Ueta (University of Denver)
A. K. Speck (University of Missouri-Columbia, PI)
R. E. Stencel (University of Denver)
F. Herwig (Los Alamos National Lab)
R. D. Gehrz (University of Minnesota)
R. Szczerba (N. Copernicus Astronomical Center, Poland)
H. Izumiura (Okayama Astronomical Observatory, Japan)
A. A. Zijlstra (University of Manchester)
W. B. Latter (NASA Herschel Science Center)
M. Matsuura (National Astronomical Observatory, Japan)
M. Meixner (Space Telescope Science Institute)
M. Steffen (Astrophysics Institute Potsdam, Germany)
M. Elitzur (University of Kentucky)
C. J. Wareing (University of Manchester)
T. J. O?Brien (University of Manchester)
Observers
T. Ueta (University of Denver)
A. K. Speck (University of Missouri-Columbia, PI)
R. E. Stencel (University of Denver)
F. Herwig (Los Alamos National Lab)
R. D. Gehrz (University of Minnesota)
R. Szczerba (N. Copernicus Astronomical Center, Poland)
H. Izumiura (Okayama Astronomical Observatory, Japan)
A. A. Zijlstra (University of Manchester)
W. B. Latter (NASA Herschel Science Center)
M. Matsuura (National Astronomical Observatory, Japan)
M. Meixner (Space Telescope Science Institute)
M. Steffen (Astrophysics Institute Potsdam, Germany)
M. Elitzur (University of Kentucky)
C. J. Wareing (University of Manchester)
T. J. O?Brien (University of Manchester)
Observers
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Instrument:
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MIPS
Instrument
MIPS
Instrument
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Orientation:
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North is up
Orientation
North is up
Orientation
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Magnitude:
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4.5 [naked eye] to 9.5 [binocular bright
Magnitude
4.5 [naked eye] to 9.5 [binocular bright
Magnitude
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facet_what:
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Spitzer Space Telescope
facet_what
Spitzer Space Telescope
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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Sun
facet_what
Sun
facet_what
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facet_what:
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MIPS
facet_what
MIPS
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Hydra
facet_what
Hydra
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Apex
facet_what
Apex
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Columbia
facet_what
Columbia
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Minnesota
facet_where
Minnesota
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Missouri
facet_where
Missouri
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Denver
facet_where
Denver
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Germany
facet_where
Germany
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Japan
facet_where
Japan
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Kentucky
facet_where
Kentucky
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Poland
facet_where
Poland
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
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_where:
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Stennis Space Center (SSC)
facet_where
Stennis Space Center (SSC)
facet_where
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Image #:
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sig06-029
Image_#
sig06-029
Image #
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original url:
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original_url
original url
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UID:
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SPD-SPITZ-sig06-029
UID
SPD-SPITZ-sig06-029
UID
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