Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Shocking Behavior of a Speedy Star
Scientific Computing ^ | Friday, April 25, 2014 | NASA

Posted on 04/29/2014 5:20:41 PM PDT by SunkenCiv

Roguish runaway stars can have a big impact on their surroundings as they plunge through the Milky Way galaxy. Their high-speed encounters shock the galaxy, creating arcs, as seen in this newly released image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope.

In this case, the speedster star is known as Kappa Cassiopeiae, or HD 2905 to astronomers. It is a massive, hot supergiant moving at around 2.5 million mph relative to its neighbors (1,100 kilometers per second). But what really makes the star stand out in this image is the surrounding, streaky red glow of material in its path. Such structures are called bow shocks, and they can often be seen in front of the fastest, most massive stars in the galaxy.

Bow shocks form where the magnetic fields and wind of particles flowing off a star collide with the diffuse, and usually invisible, gas and dust that fill the space between stars. How these shocks light up tells astronomers about the conditions around the star and in space. Slow-moving stars like our sun have bow shocks that are nearly invisible at all wavelengths of light, but fast stars like Kappa Cassiopeiae create shocks that can be seen by Spitzer’s infrared detectors.

(Excerpt) Read more at scientificcomputing.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: appacassiopeiae; astronomy; hd2905; science; spitzertelescope; xplanets
(the big version will load in a new window)
Kappa Cassiopeiae, HD 2905 -- Courtesy of NASA

Kappa Cassiopeiae, HD 2905 -- Courtesy of NASA

1 posted on 04/29/2014 5:20:41 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: brytlea; cripplecreek; decimon; bigheadfred; KoRn; Grammy; steelyourfaith; Mmogamer; dayglored; ...

Extra to APoD members. Thanks null and void.


2 posted on 04/29/2014 5:22:11 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: null and void; KevinDavis; annie laurie; Knitting A Conundrum; Viking2002; Ernest_at_the_Beach; ...
Thanks null and void.
 
X-Planets
· join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic · subscribe ·
Google news searches: exoplanet · exosolar · extrasolar ·

3 posted on 04/29/2014 5:22:18 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Lotta mass mov’n fast hauling ass. ;^)


4 posted on 04/29/2014 5:26:17 PM PDT by Red Steel
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Hypervelocity stars flung out by the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervelocity_star#Hypervelocity_stars


5 posted on 04/29/2014 5:29:13 PM PDT by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv
Ma'am photo a-tip-o-the-hat-to-you.jpg
6 posted on 04/29/2014 5:30:50 PM PDT by null and void ( They don't think think they are above the law. They think they are the law.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Red Steel

Or moving @ 3.6691% of the speed of light. :-)


7 posted on 04/29/2014 5:31:07 PM PDT by Red Steel
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Red Steel
Lotta mass mov’n fast hauling ass. ;^)

Haulin' Ass, Gettin' Paid

8 posted on 04/29/2014 5:37:54 PM PDT by GraceG
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Thought this was about Justin Beiber for a minute.

Carry on.


9 posted on 04/29/2014 5:45:05 PM PDT by headstamp 2 (What would Scooby do?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Great post - thanks.


10 posted on 04/29/2014 5:47:15 PM PDT by zeestephen
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

What is the force of the initial explosion. That propelled the star to 2.5 million mph?


11 posted on 04/29/2014 6:25:11 PM PDT by Doc Savage ("I've shot people I like a lot more,...for a lot less!" Raylan Givins)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Doc Savage

Pretty big. :’)


12 posted on 04/29/2014 7:08:23 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: headstamp 2

Hey, let’s give JB some respect. The man saved my life. I was in a coma in the hospital for months when the nurse left the radio in my room turned on and Justin Bieber started playing. I got out of the bed and turned the radio off.


13 posted on 04/29/2014 7:10:25 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Red Steel; cripplecreek; GraceG; zeestephen

“I said Bud Light”.


14 posted on 04/29/2014 7:10:50 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

LOL!


15 posted on 04/29/2014 9:00:41 PM PDT by headstamp 2 (What would Scooby do?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv; null and void

Thank you for the ping, Mr. Civilizations.

Hi, Nully!

Does this star just rampage through the Milky Way eating planets and suns as it goes? How big is too big?

If so, it is literally a death star.

Does it eventually collapse from its own mass and spew itself out in another time, space, or dimension somewhere?

It’s horribly beautiful.


16 posted on 04/30/2014 2:40:55 AM PDT by TheOldLady
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: TheOldLady

It’ll screw up the orbits of any systems it passes by or through. In our system, we have Uranus — normal moon system but the planet’s axis is tipped almost into the ecliptic — and Neptune — normal axis but screwed up moons.


17 posted on 04/30/2014 8:34:52 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson