|
Collection:
|
|
NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Collection
NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Collection
|
|
Title:
|
|
Mysterious object He2-90
Title
Mysterious object He2-90
Title
|
|
Original Caption Released with Image:
|
|
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have stumbled upon a mysterious object that is grudgingly yielding clues to its identity. A quick glance at the Hubble picture at top shows that this celestial body, called He2-90, looks like a young, dust-enshrouded star with narrow jets of material streaming from each side. But it's not. The object is classified as a planetary nebula, the glowing remains of a dying, lightweight star. But the Hubble observations suggest that it may not fit that classification, either. The Hubble astronomers now suspect that this enigmatic object may actually be a pair of aging stars masquerading as a single youngster. One member of the duo is a bloated red giant star shedding matter from its outer layers. This matter is then gravitationally captured in a rotating, pancake-shaped accretion disk around a compact partner, which is most likely a young white dwarf (the collapsed remnant of a sun-like star). The stars cannot be seen in the Hubble images because a lane of dust obscures them.
Original_Caption_Rel eased_with_Image
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have stumbled upon a mysterious object that is grudgingly yielding clues to its identity. A quick glance at the Hubble picture at top shows that this celestial body, called He2-90, looks like a young, dust-enshrouded star with narrow jets of material streaming from each side. But it's not. The object is classified as a planetary nebula, the glowing remains of a dying, lightweight star. But the Hubble observations suggest that it may not fit that classification, either. The Hubble astronomers now suspect that this enigmatic object may actually be a pair of aging stars masquerading as a single youngster. One member of the duo is a bloated red giant star shedding matter from its outer layers. This matter is then gravitationally captured in a rotating, pancake-shaped accretion disk around a compact partner, which is most likely a young white dwarf (the collapsed remnant of a sun-like star). The stars cannot be seen in the Hubble images because a lane of dust obscures them.
Original Caption Released with Image
|
|
Image Credit:
|
|
NASA, Raghvendra Sahai (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lars-Ake Nyman (European Southern Observatory Chile & Onsala Space Observatory, Sweden
Image_Credit
NASA, Raghvendra Sahai (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lars-Ake Nyman (European Southern Observatory Chile & Onsala Space Observatory, Sweden
Image Credit
|
|
Mission:
|
|
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
Mission
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
Mission
|
|
Spacecraft:
|
|
Hubble Space Telescope
Spacecraft
Hubble Space Telescope
Spacecraft
|
|
Target Name:
|
|
mysterious object
Target_Name
mysterious object
Target Name
|
|
Instrument:
|
|
Wide Field Planetary Camera 2
Instrument
Wide Field Planetary Camera 2
Instrument
|
|
Product Size:
|
|
3000 samples x 2400 lines
Product_Size
3000 samples x 2400 lines
Product Size
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Sun
facet_what
Sun
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Camera 2
facet_what
Camera 2
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Wide Field Planetary Camera 2
facet_what
Wide Field Planetary Camera 2
facet_what
|
|
facet_what:
|
|
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
facet_what
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
facet_what
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
Chile
facet_where
Chile
facet_where
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
Sweden
facet_where
Sweden
facet_where
|
|
facet_where:
|
|
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
|
|
Image #:
|
|
PIA04214
|
|
UID:
|
|
SPD-PHOTJ-PIA04214
UID
SPD-PHOTJ-PIA04214
UID
|
|
orignial url:
|
orignial_url
orignial url
|
