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Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Zeta Oph: Runaway Star
NASA ^ | July 05, 2015 | (see photo credit)

Posted on 07/05/2015 1:13:36 PM PDT by SunkenCiv

Explanation:

July 05, 2015

(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; astronomy; science; zetaoph
[Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Spitzer Space Telescope]

1 posted on 07/05/2015 1:13:36 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
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To: SunkenCiv

Gorgeous! :-)


2 posted on 07/05/2015 1:14:14 PM PDT by left that other site (You shall know the Truth, and The Truth Shall Set You Free.)
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To: SunkenCiv

IBTP?


3 posted on 07/05/2015 1:14:26 PM PDT by DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis
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To: brytlea; cripplecreek; decimon; bigheadfred; KoRn; Grammy; steelyourfaith; Mmogamer; dayglored; ...
Beats me why, it was in there -- the explanation vanished when I clicked "Post".
Explanation: Like a ship plowing through cosmic seas, runaway star Zeta Ophiuchi produces the arcing interstellar bow wave or bow shock seen in this stunning infrared portrait. In the false-color view, bluish Zeta Oph, a star about 20 times more massive than the Sun, lies near the center of the frame, moving toward the left at 24 kilometers per second. Its strong stellar wind precedes it, compressing and heating the dusty interstellar material and shaping the curved shock front. Around it are clouds of relatively undisturbed material. What set this star in motion? Zeta Oph was likely once a member of a binary star system, its companion star was more massive and hence shorter lived. When the companion exploded as a supernova catastrophically losing mass, Zeta Oph was flung out of the system. About 460 light-years away, Zeta Oph is 65,000 times more luminous than the Sun and would be one of the brighter stars in the sky if it weren't surrounded by obscuring dust. The image spans about 1.5 degrees or 12 light-years at the estimated distance of Zeta Ophiuchi.
The Big One

4 posted on 07/05/2015 1:15:21 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (What do we want? REGIME CHANGE! When do we want it? NOW)
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To: DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis

Indeed you were.


5 posted on 07/05/2015 1:15:52 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (What do we want? REGIME CHANGE! When do we want it? NOW)
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To: SunkenCiv
... 20 solar masses ..65000 more luminous than the Sun ...

THAT star is really burning through it's fuel!

6 posted on 07/05/2015 3:34:01 PM PDT by Ken522
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