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Hubble Image of He2-90
This mysterious object that …
8/31/00
Date 8/31/00
Description This mysterious object that seems to defy classification was found by astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The object has been classified as a planetary nebula, the glowing remains of a Sun-like star in its death throes, although the Hubble observations suggest it may not fit that classification, either. A quick glance at the Hubble picture at top shows that the object, He2-90, looks like a young, dust-enshrouded star with narrow jets of material resembling strings of beads streaming from each side. The other light streaks running diagonally from He2-90 are artificial effects of the telescope's optical system. Each jet possesses at least six bright clumps of gas speeding along at rates estimated to be at least 600,000 kilometers an hour (375,000 miles an hour). These gaseous clumps are ejected into space about every 100 years and may be caused by periodic instabilities in He2-90's accretion disk. Jets from very young stars behave in a similar way. Deep images taken from a terrestrial observatory show each jet extending at least 100,000 astronomical units (one astronomical unit equals the Earth-Sun distance, 150 million kilometers or 93 million miles). The Hubble astronomers, Dr. Raghvendra Sahai of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., and Lars-Ake Nyman of the European Southern Observatory, Chile, and Onsala Space Observatory, Sweden, suspect that He2-9 is 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 captured by gravity in a rotating accretion disk around a compact partner, most likely a young white dwarf (the collapsed remnant of a Sun-like star). The stars are not visible in the Hubble images because they're obscured by a disk of dust. The jets' relatively modest speed implies that one member of the duo is a white dwarf. An accretion disk needs gravity to form. For gravity to create He2-90's disk, the two stars must reside at a cozy distance from each other: within about 10 astronomical units. Astronomers are uncertain about the details, but they believe that magnetic fields associated with accretion disks produce and constrict the pencil-thin jets seen in the Hubble image. The close-up Hubble photo at bottom shows a dark, flaring, disk-like structure (off-center) bisecting the bright light from the object. The disk is seen edge-on. Although this disk is too large to be an accretion disk, it may provide indirect proof of the disk's existence. Most theories for producing jets require the presence of an accretion disk. The round, white objects at the lower left and upper right corners are two bright clumps of gas in the jets, which are close to the companion star. The astronomers traced the jets to within 1,000 astronomical units of the central obscured star. The star ejected this material about 30 years ago. This oddball star was discovered during an imaging survey of planetary nebulae. The images were taken Sept. 28, 1999 with Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. The images and results appear in the Aug. 1 issue of the Astrophysical Journal Letters. JPL designed and built the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. The Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md, manages space operations for the Hubble Space Telescope for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Institute is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for NASA, under contract with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. #####
Brief History of the Univers …
Title Brief History of the Universe
Description This artist's timeline chronicles the history of the universe, from its explosive beginning to its mature, present-day state. Our universe began in a tremendous explosion known as the Big Bang about 13.7 billion years ago (left side of strip). Observations by NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer and Wilkinson Anisotropy Microwave Probe revealed microwave light from this very early epoch, about 400,000 years after the Big Bang, providing strong evidence that our universe did blast into existence. Results from the Cosmic Background Explorer were honored with the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physics. A period of darkness ensued, until about a few hundred million years later, when the first objects flooded the universe with light. This first light is believed to have been captured in data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The light detected by Spitzer would have originated as visible and ultraviolet light, then stretched, or redshifted, to lower-energy infrared wavelengths during its long voyage to reach us across expanding space. The light detected by the Cosmic Background Explorer and the Wilkinson Anisotropy Microwave Probe from our very young universe traveled farther to reach us, and stretched to even lower-energy microwave wavelengths. Astronomers do not know if the very first objects were either stars or quasars. The first stars, called Population III stars (our star is a Population I star), were much bigger and brighter than any in our nearby universe, with masses about 1,000 times that of our sun. These stars first grouped together into mini-galaxies. By about a few billion years after the Big Bang, the mini-galaxies had merged to form mature galaxies, including spiral galaxies like our own Milky Way. The first quasars ultimately became the centers of powerful galaxies that are more common in the distant universe. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured stunning pictures of earlier galaxies, as far back as ten billion light-years away.
Description Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn.
Full Description Auroral "Footprints" of Jupiter's Moons February 27, 2002 A drawing illustrates how flows of electrons steered by Jupiter's magnetic field connect three of Jupiter's large moons with the upper atmosphere near Jupiter's north and south poles. The currents stimulate ultraviolet aurora glows in Jupiter's upper atmosphere. Observations with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, coordinated with the late 2000 flyby of Jupiter by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, captured those auroral footprints for the moons Io (left), Europa (right) and Ganymede (center). In the illustration, Jupiter's magnetic field lines are presented in blue, the moons' orbital paths around Jupiter in yellow. Pink loops from each of the moons to Jupiter's poles depict the flux tubes that are the paths of powerful electric currents. The Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md., manages space operations for Hubble for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The institute is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for NASA, under contract with the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Office of Space Science. Credit: NASA/John Spencer, Lowell Observatory and John Clarke, Boston University More information about the Cassini and Galileo joint observations of the Jupiter system is available online at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/jupiterflyby. Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo and Cassini missions for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.
The Trifid Nebula: Stellar S …
Title The Trifid Nebula: Stellar Sibling Rivalry
Hubble Telescope Reveals Swa …
Title Hubble Telescope Reveals Swarm of Glittering Stars in Nearby Galaxy
General Information What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ]
New View of Primordial Heliu …
Title New View of Primordial Helium Traces the Structure of Early Universe
Biggest 'Zoom Lens' in Space …
Title Biggest 'Zoom Lens' in Space Takes Hubble Deeper into the Universe
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. Back to top [ #top ]
Biggest 'Zoom Lens' in Space …
Title Biggest 'Zoom Lens' in Space Takes Hubble Deeper into the Universe
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. Back to top [ #top ]
Hubble Reveals Complex Circu …
Title Hubble Reveals Complex Circumstellar Disk
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. Back to top [ #top ]
Far-Flung Supernovae Shed Li …
Title Far-Flung Supernovae Shed Light on Dark Universe
Far-Flung Supernovae Shed Li …
Title Far-Flung Supernovae Shed Light on Dark Universe
Far-Flung Supernovae Shed Li …
Title Far-Flung Supernovae Shed Light on Dark Universe
Deepest View of Space Yields …
Title Deepest View of Space Yields Young Stars in Andromeda Halo
Deepest View of Space Yields …
Title Deepest View of Space Yields Young Stars in Andromeda Halo
Deepest View of Space Yields …
Title Deepest View of Space Yields Young Stars in Andromeda Halo
Deepest View of Space Yields …
Title Deepest View of Space Yields Young Stars in Andromeda Halo
Deepest View of Space Yields …
Title Deepest View of Space Yields Young Stars in Andromeda Halo
Deepest View of Space Yields …
Title Deepest View of Space Yields Young Stars in Andromeda Halo
Deepest View of Space Yields …
Title Deepest View of Space Yields Young Stars in Andromeda Halo
Deepest View of Space Yields …
Title Deepest View of Space Yields Young Stars in Andromeda Halo
Deepest View of Space Yields …
Title Deepest View of Space Yields Young Stars in Andromeda Halo
Deepest View of Space Yields …
Title Deepest View of Space Yields Young Stars in Andromeda Halo
Deepest View of Space Yields …
Title Deepest View of Space Yields Young Stars in Andromeda Halo
The Secret Lives of Galaxies …
Title The Secret Lives of Galaxies Unveiled in Deep Survey
The Secret Lives of Galaxies …
Title The Secret Lives of Galaxies Unveiled in Deep Survey
Hubble Probes the Heart of a …
Title Hubble Probes the Heart of a Nearby Quasar
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. Back to top [ #top ]
The Secret Lives of Galaxies …
Title The Secret Lives of Galaxies Unveiled in Deep Survey
Far-Flung Supernovae Shed Li …
Title Far-Flung Supernovae Shed Light on Dark Universe
Far-Flung Supernovae Shed Li …
Title Far-Flung Supernovae Shed Light on Dark Universe
Far-Flung Supernovae Shed Li …
Title Far-Flung Supernovae Shed Light on Dark Universe
Deepest View of Space Yields …
Title Deepest View of Space Yields Young Stars in Andromeda Halo
Deepest View of Space Yields …
Title Deepest View of Space Yields Young Stars in Andromeda Halo
The Secret Lives of Galaxies …
Title The Secret Lives of Galaxies Unveiled in Deep Survey
The Secret Lives of Galaxies …
Title The Secret Lives of Galaxies Unveiled in Deep Survey
The Secret Lives of Galaxies …
Title The Secret Lives of Galaxies Unveiled in Deep Survey
The Secret Lives of Galaxies …
Title The Secret Lives of Galaxies Unveiled in Deep Survey
The Secret Lives of Galaxies …
Title The Secret Lives of Galaxies Unveiled in Deep Survey
The Secret Lives of Galaxies …
Title The Secret Lives of Galaxies Unveiled in Deep Survey
The Secret Lives of Galaxies …
Title The Secret Lives of Galaxies Unveiled in Deep Survey
The Secret Lives of Galaxies …
Title The Secret Lives of Galaxies Unveiled in Deep Survey
The Secret Lives of Galaxies …
Title The Secret Lives of Galaxies Unveiled in Deep Survey
Images from Hubble's ACS Tel …
Title Images from Hubble's ACS Tell a Tale of Two Record-Breaking Galaxy Clusters
NASA Space Observatories Gli …
Title NASA Space Observatories Glimpse Faint Afterglow of Nearby Stellar Explosion
General Information What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ]
NASA's Hubble Looks for Poss …
Title NASA's Hubble Looks for Possible Moon Resources
Young Stars Sculpt Gas with …
Title Young Stars Sculpt Gas with Powerful Outflows
Dusty Planetary Disks Around …
Title Dusty Planetary Disks Around Two Nearby Stars Resemble Our Kuiper Belt
General Information What is a News Nugget? News Nuggets are bulletins from the world of astronomy. These two bright debris disks of ice and dust appear to be the equivalent of our own solar system's Kuiper Belt, a ring of icy rocks outside the orbit of Neptune and the source of short-period comets. The disks encircle the types of stars around which there could be habitable zones and planets for life to develop. The disks seem to have a central area cleared of debris, perhaps by planets.
Dying Star Sculpts Rungs of …
Title Dying Star Sculpts Rungs of Gas and Dust
Hubble's Largest Galaxy Port …
Title Hubble's Largest Galaxy Portrait Offers a New High-Definition View
General Information What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Giant galaxies weren?t assembled in a day. Neither was this Hubble Space Telescope image of the face-on spiral galaxy Messier 101 (M101). It is the largest and most detailed photo of a spiral galaxy that has ever been released from Hubble. The galaxy?s portrait is actually composed of 51 individual exposures taken with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys and the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 in March 1994, September 1994, June 1999, November 2002, and January 2003. The newly composed image also includes elements from images from ground-based photos.
Hubble's Largest Galaxy Port …
Title Hubble's Largest Galaxy Portrait Offers a New High-Definition View
General Information What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Giant galaxies weren?t assembled in a day. Neither was this Hubble Space Telescope image of the face-on spiral galaxy Messier 101 (M101). It is the largest and most detailed photo of a spiral galaxy that has ever been released from Hubble. The galaxy?s portrait is actually composed of 51 individual exposures taken with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys and the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 in March 1994, September 1994, June 1999, November 2002, and January 2003. The newly composed image also includes elements from images from ground-based photos.
Dying Star Sculpts Rungs of …
Title Dying Star Sculpts Rungs of Gas and Dust
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