Posted on 11/20/2018 9:12:23 AM PST by ETL
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It's one of a pair of stars that could be involved in one of the universe's biggest explosions, experts suggest.
Scientists say the previously unknown star system is wrapped in an "elegant spiral dust cloud", making it look "spectacular".
At its heart is a pair of massive Wolf-Rayet stars, according to an international team of researchers who published the findings in the Nature Astronomy journal.
Wolf-Rayet stars are special in that they're among the hottest in the universe.
They blast out powerful winds of hot gas, and represent the last stage of most massive stars – before "exploding as a supernova".
The star system is believed to be located around 8,000 light years away from Earth.
That's roughly half a billion times farther than our own Sun.
According to scientists, the winds between the two stars form dust.
As the stars orbit each other, this dust takes on "elegant spiral pinwheel shapes".
"It remains a mystery how dust – similar to soot from a candle – forms in such harsh environments," said Professor Paul Crowther, of the University of Sheffield, who was involved in the study.
"But this newly discovered system is the most beautiful case seen to date."
The system was found using the Very Large Telescope in Chile and Anglo-Australia Telescope in Australia.
And it was photographed at the European Southern Observatory in stunning detail.
Experts discovered that the star system is producing "incredibly fast" winds that are 100,000 times quicker than a hurricane on Earth.
This wind speed is typical for a Wolf-Rayet star.
But what's interesting is that researchers found that the dust cloud itself is more slower.
This difference between the speeds of wind and dust is important. It suggests that the stars are "spewing out faster gas" at the poles – and slower gas at the equator.
"One way for such different winds to happen is via critical rotation," said Dr Benjamin Pope, of New York University.
The star system is believed to be located around 8,000 light years away from Earth.
That's roughly half a billion times farther than our own Sun.
According to scientists, the winds between the two stars form dust.
As the stars orbit each other, this dust takes on "elegant spiral pinwheel shapes".
"It remains a mystery how dust – similar to soot from a candle – forms in such harsh environments," said Professor Paul Crowther, of the University of Sheffield, who was involved in the study.
"But this newly discovered system is the most beautiful case seen to date."
The system was found using the Very Large Telescope in Chile and Anglo-Australia Telescope in Australia.
And it was photographed at the European Southern Observatory in stunning detail.
Experts discovered that the star system is producing "incredibly fast" winds that are 100,000 times quicker than a hurricane on Earth.
This wind speed is typical for a Wolf-Rayet star.
But what's interesting is that researchers found that the dust cloud itself is more slower.
This difference between the speeds of wind and dust is important. It suggests that the stars are "spewing out faster gas" at the poles – and slower gas at the equator.
"One way for such different winds to happen is via critical rotation," said Dr Benjamin Pope, of New York University.
Holy shiite!
“Gamma rays travel at the speed of light,”
Dr Banner
Pelted by gamma rays
Turns into the Incredible Hulk!!
Yeah. Seems there’s Japanese bar josan on the research team. You drink diss, G.I. It more better.
So, it’s only 45 rpm?
How is that considered a fast rotation?
Oops. Nevermind. If it blew up the week after the picture was taken 8000 years ago it could hit anytim
Sorry to disappoint but what we're seeing "today" happened 8,000 years ago.
You read my oxymoronic statement, then posted it in quotes then thought you had to explain it to me?
Gamma ray burstilicious!
Creative naming scheme, there. When guy who named it became a father he and his wife probably chose equally creative names for them like "Hairless Chubby Squirm Boy" and "Pinkish Giggling Girl."
Its pole is pointed in our direction. The assumption is that it is "soon" to go supernova, and generate a GRB that would still be potent enough to disrupt the gas molecules in the Earth's atmosphere to allow in the solar radiation that is normally blocked.
Must something be worrisome to be interesting?
I don't get it at all. I can't turn my head to the side without getting a little dizzy. If I were to simply spin around I would get sick and wobbly. I must have some sort of inner ear/balance problem.
Yeah, I know. But I couldn't find the scissors.
There must be some specific training secrets that gymnasts, ballet dancers and figure skaters are told to do.
I don’t see how they keep the Vertigo (Hitchcock Movie) at bay either.
That was my thought. For all these jokers know it blew up before noah built his ark.
I would guess it's due to some genetic factor(s). Like being able to curl one's tongue.
“More slower”
My English teacher would have Red Circled that.
She might have said ‘Use more slowLY”
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