|
Collection:
|
|
NASA Spitzer Space Telescope Collection
Collection
NASA Spitzer Space Telescope Collection
Collection
|
|
Title:
|
|
Bubbly Little Star
Title
Bubbly Little Star
Title
|
|
Description:
|
|
In this processed Spitzer Space Telescope image, baby star HH 46/47 can be seen blowing two massive "bubbles." The star is 1,140 light-years away from Earth.
The infant star can be seen as a white spot toward the center of the Spitzer image. The two bubbles are shown as hollow elliptical shells of bluish-green material extending from the star. Wisps of green in the image reveal warm molecular hydrogen gas, while the bluish tints are formed by starlight scattered by surrounding dust.
These bubbles formed when powerful jets of gas, traveling at 200 to 300 kilometers per second, or about 120 to 190 miles per second, smashed into the cosmic cloud of gas and dust that surrounds HH 46/47. The red specks at the end of each bubble show the presence of hot sulfur and iron gas where the star's narrow jets are currently crashing head-on into the cosmic cloud's gas and dust material.
Whenever astronomers observe a star, or snap a stellar portrait, through the lens of any telescope, they know that what they are seeing is slightly blurred. To clear up the blurring in Spitzer images, astronomers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory developed an image processing technique for Spitzer called Hi-Res deconvolution.
This process reduces blurring and makes the image sharper and cleaner, enabling astronomers to see the emissions around forming stars in greater detail. When scientists applied this image processing technique to the Spitzer image of HH 46/47, they were able to see winds from the star and jets of gas that are carving the celestial bubbles.
This infrared image is a three-color composite, with data at 3.6 microns represented in blue, 4.5 and 5.8 microns shown in green, and 24 microns represented as red.
Description
In this processed Spitzer Space Telescope image, baby star HH 46/47 can be seen blowing two massive "bubbles." The star is 1,140 light-years away from Earth.
The infant star can be seen as a white spot toward the center of the Spitzer image. The two bubbles are shown as hollow elliptical shells of bluish-green material extending from the star. Wisps of green in the image reveal warm molecular hydrogen gas, while the bluish tints are formed by starlight scattered by surrounding dust.
These bubbles formed when powerful jets of gas, traveling at 200 to 300 kilometers per second, or about 120 to 190 miles per second, smashed into the cosmic cloud of gas and dust that surrounds HH 46/47. The red specks at the end of each bubble show the presence of hot sulfur and iron gas where the star's narrow jets are currently crashing head-on into the cosmic cloud's gas and dust material.
Whenever astronomers observe a star, or snap a stellar portrait, through the lens of any telescope, they know that what they are seeing is slightly blurred. To clear up the blurring in Spitzer images, astronomers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory developed an image processing technique for Spitzer called Hi-Res deconvolution.
This process reduces blurring and makes the image sharper and cleaner, enabling astronomers to see the emissions around forming stars in greater detail. When scientists applied this image processing technique to the Spitzer image of HH 46/47, they were able to see winds from the star and jets of gas that are carving the celestial bubbles.
This infrared image is a three-color composite, with data at 3.6 microns represented in blue, 4.5 and 5.8 microns shown in green, and 24 microns represented as red.
Description
|
|
Release Date:
|
|
2007/11/08
Release_Date
2007/11/08
Release Date
|
|
Release Credit:
|
|
NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Velusamy (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Release_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Velusamy (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Release Credit
|
|
Image Credit:
|
|
NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Velusamy (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Image_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Velusamy (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Image Credit
|
|
Object name:
|
|
HH 46/47
Object_name
HH 46/47
Object name
|
|
Object type:
|
|
Protostar with outflows, Star forming region
Object_type
Protostar with outflows, Star forming region
Object type
|
|
Position (J2000):
|
|
*RA: *08h25m43.90s *Dec: *-51d00m36.00s
Position_(J2000)
*RA: *08h25m43.90s *Dec: *-51d00m36.00s
Position (J2000)
|
|
Distance:
|
|
1,140 light-years
Distance
1,140 light-years
Distance
|
|
Constellation:
|
|
Vela (the Sails)
Constellation
Vela (the Sails)
Constellation
|
|
Wavelength:
|
|
3.6 microns, 4.5 microns, 5.8 microns, and 24 microns
Wavelength
3.6 microns, 4.5 microns, 5.8 microns, and 24 microns
Wavelength
|
|
Observers:
|
|
A. Noriega-Crespo (SSC/Caltech)
J. Keene (JPL & SSC/Caltech),
P. Morris (SSC/Caltech)
S. Carey (SSC/Caltech).
F. Marleau (SSC/Caltech)
P. Lowrance (SSC/Caltech)
E. van Dishoeck (Leiden University)
N. Evans (University of Texas)
A. Boogert (Caltech)
L. Allen (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
T. Bourke (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
K. Pontoppidan (Leiden University)
Observers
A. Noriega-Crespo (SSC/Caltech)
J. Keene (JPL & SSC/Caltech),
P. Morris (SSC/Caltech)
S. Carey (SSC/Caltech).
F. Marleau (SSC/Caltech)
P. Lowrance (SSC/Caltech)
E. van Dishoeck (Leiden University)
N. Evans (University of Texas)
A. Boogert (Caltech)
L. Allen (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
T. Bourke (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
K. Pontoppidan (Leiden University)
Observers
|
|
Instrument:
|
|
IRAC MIPS
Instrument
IRAC MIPS
Instrument
|
|
Exposure Date:
|
|
2003/11/19
Exposure_Date
2003/11/19
Exposure Date
|
|
Exposure Time:
|
|
330 sec [5.5 minutes] per position
Exposure_Time
330 sec [5.5 minutes] per position
Exposure Time
|
|
Related links:
|
Related_links
Related links
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Spitzer Space Telescope
facet_what
Spitzer Space Telescope
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Earth
facet_what
Earth
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
MIPS
facet_what
MIPS
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Vela
facet_what
Vela
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
facet_what
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
facet_what
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
Texas
facet_where
Texas
facet_where
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
Washington, D.C.
facet_where
Washington, D.C.
facet_where
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
Stennis Space Center (SSC)
facet_where
Stennis Space Center (SSC)
facet_where
|
|
Image #:
|
|
sig07-022
Image_#
sig07-022
Image #
|
|
original url:
|
original_url
original url
|
|
UID:
|
|
SPD-SPITZ-sig07-022
UID
SPD-SPITZ-sig07-022
UID
|
