The ghost-like echo of a
stellar eruption is caught by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Whorls and eddies of
interstellar dust appear as wispy veils in this view of an unusual astronomical
phenomena known as a light echo emanating from a variable star dubbed V838
Monocerotis (V838 Mon). [Click here
for animation.]
Astronomers remain
perplexed over why V838 Mon belched an
enormous outburst in 2002 that caused to shine more than 600,000 times
brighter than the Sun for a short period. But the light from that outburst was
scattered by interstellar dust, forcing it to travel an extra distance on its
way to Earth than the trip made by unscattered light [light
echo graphic].
The result is an odd light
echo – possibly one of the most spectacular in astronomical history – captured in
his Hubble view. Astronomers have used Hubble observations of the light echo as
a sort of yardstick to determine how far V8c8 Mon is from Earth since the
space-based telescope is equipped with polarization filters that detect light
coming through at certain angles.
The result found that V838
Mon sits about 20,000 light-years form Earth. The immense whorls and eddies
seen in this view may be the stem from magnetic field effects of interstellar
space, researchers said.
In a related note, NASA
will announce the fate of Hubble during a press conference today, when top
space agency officials are expected to discuss whether a fifth and final
servicing mission will aid the aging orbital observatory in 2008. You can
follow the press briefing live via SPACE.com’s
NASA TV feed.
Podcast:
Hubble: The First Great Space Observatory
-- SPACE.com Staff
Credit: NASA, ESA and H. Bond (STScI)
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