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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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Tiny Particles, So Far Away
Title
Tiny Particles, So Far Away
Title
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Description:
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NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope recently captured these images of the star Vega, located 25 light years away in the constellation Lyra. Spitzer was able to detect the heat radiation from the cloud of dust around the star and found that the debris disk is much larger than previously thought.
This side-by-side comparison, taken by Spitzer's multiband imaging photometer, shows the warm infrared glows from dust particles orbiting the star at wavelengths of 24 microns (on the left in blue) and 70 microns (on the right in red).
Both images show a very large, circular and smooth debris disk. The disk radius extends to at least 815 astronomical units. (One astronomical unit is the distance from Earth to the Sun, which is 150-million kilometers or 93-million miles).
Scientists compared the surface brightness of the disk in the infrared wavelengths to determine the temperature distribution of the disk and then refer the corresponding particle size in the disk. Most of the particles in the disk are only a few microns in size, or 100 times smaller than a grain of Earth sand.
These fine dust particles originate from collisions of embryonic planets near the star at a radius of approximately 90 astronomical units, and are then blown away by Vega's intense radiation. The mass and short lifetime of these small particles indicate that the disk detected by Spitzer is the aftermath of a large and relatively recent collision, involving bodies perhaps as big as the planet Pluto.
The images are 3 arcminutes on each side. North is oriented upward and east is to the left.
Description
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope recently captured these images of the star Vega, located 25 light years away in the constellation Lyra. Spitzer was able to detect the heat radiation from the cloud of dust around the star and found that the debris disk is much larger than previously thought.
This side-by-side comparison, taken by Spitzer's multiband imaging photometer, shows the warm infrared glows from dust particles orbiting the star at wavelengths of 24 microns (on the left in blue) and 70 microns (on the right in red).
Both images show a very large, circular and smooth debris disk. The disk radius extends to at least 815 astronomical units. (One astronomical unit is the distance from Earth to the Sun, which is 150-million kilometers or 93-million miles).
Scientists compared the surface brightness of the disk in the infrared wavelengths to determine the temperature distribution of the disk and then refer the corresponding particle size in the disk. Most of the particles in the disk are only a few microns in size, or 100 times smaller than a grain of Earth sand.
These fine dust particles originate from collisions of embryonic planets near the star at a radius of approximately 90 astronomical units, and are then blown away by Vega's intense radiation. The mass and short lifetime of these small particles indicate that the disk detected by Spitzer is the aftermath of a large and relatively recent collision, involving bodies perhaps as big as the planet Pluto.
The images are 3 arcminutes on each side. North is oriented upward and east is to the left.
Description
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Release Date:
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2005/01/10
Release_Date
2005/01/10
Release Date
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Press Release:
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Press_Release
Press Release
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Release Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/K. Su (University of Arizona)
Release_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/K. Su (University of Arizona)
Release Credit
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Image Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/K. Su (University of Arizona)
Image_Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/K. Su (University of Arizona)
Image Credit
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Object name:
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Vega
Object_name
Vega
Object name
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Object name:
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Alpha Lyrae
Object_name
Alpha Lyrae
Object name
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Object name:
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HD 172167
Object_name
HD 172167
Object name
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Object type:
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Circumstellar disk, variable star
Object_type
Circumstellar disk, variable star
Object type
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Position (J2000):
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*RA: *18h36m56.34s *Dec: *38d47m1.30s
Position_(J2000)
*RA: *18h36m56.34s *Dec: *38d47m1.30s
Position (J2000)
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Distance:
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25 light-years (7.8 parsecs)
Distance
25 light-years (7.8 parsecs)
Distance
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Constellation:
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Lyra (the Harp)
Constellation
Lyra (the Harp)
Constellation
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Observers:
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K. Su (University of Arizona)
Observers
K. Su (University of Arizona)
Observers
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Instrument:
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MIPS
Instrument
MIPS
Instrument
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Magnitude:
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0.03
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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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Pluto
facet_what
Pluto
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Lyra
facet_what
Lyra
facet_what
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facet_what:
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VEGA
facet_what
VEGA
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Arizona
facet_where
Arizona
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Pluto
facet_where
Pluto
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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Image #:
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ssc2005-01a
Image_#
ssc2005-01a
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-ssc2005-01 a
UID
SPD-SPITZ-ssc2005-01 a
UID
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