| Story Views | |
| Now: | |
| Last Hour: | |
| Last 24 Hours: | |
| Total: | |
Watch a Star Blast Out Waves of Light
Hubble image of variable star RS Puppis (NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team)
6,500 light-years away in the southern constellation Puppis an enormous star pulses with light and energy, going through the first throes of its death spasms as it depletes its last reserves of hydrogen necessary to maintain a stable, steady radiance. This star, a Cepheid variable named RS Puppis, brightens and dims over a 40-day-long cycle, and newly-released observations with Hubble reveal not only the star but also the echoes of its bright surges as they reflect off the dusty nebula surrounding it.
The image above shows RS Puppis shining brilliantly at the center of its dusty coccoon. (Click the image for a super high-res version.) But wait, there’s more: a video has been made of the variable star’s outbursts as well, and it’s simply mesmerizing. Check it out below:
(…)
Read the rest of Watch a Star Blast Out Waves of Light (278 words)
© Jason Major for Universe Today, 2013. |
Permalink |
No comment |
Post tags: Astronomy, Cepheid variable, esa, Hubble, Light Echo, NASA, RS Puppis, space, Star
Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh
Source: http://www.universetoday.com/107282/watch-a-star-blast-out-waves-of-light/
