Posted on 11/20/2018 9:12:23 AM PST by ETL
Full title:
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.
What about "grammar-rays"?
Re: "more slower"
That is why we must prevent this catastrophe. Dr. Banner proved it.
Thanks ETL.
The Cycle of Cosmic Catastrophes:
Flood, Fire, and Famine
in the History of Civilization
by Richard Firestone,
Allen West, and
Simon Warwick-Smith
If it happened 8000 years ago (to the day), we’d be seeing the explosion right now. If the explosion happens right now, astronomers 8000 years from now will finally get to see it.
My point was based on words in the title “it risks...”
Couple of points on this is that an inanimate object doesn’t take risks. A risk involves the potential for loss and the decision to proceed.
Being that it is 8000 light years away, the possibility exists that the inanimate object elected to take the risk and may have already exploded we just don’t know it yet as the shock waves won’t get here for many thousands of years.
It’s just a pet peeve of mine that these stories assign risk-taking to objects and no forward thinking of what could have happened already. The proper framing of the story should have been in the may have, could have, and then present reasonable odds based suppositions in an If and only if, then, else format.
These so-called science writers treat us like retards and it is annoying.
It's in the same category of stupidity as assigning to hurricanes and tornadoes the ability to pick targets.
so-called science writers treat us like retards
Most of them are pretty damn dumb themselves ...
No secrets... Just start training when they are 6-years old (like my 18-year old granddaughter did) and it becomes second nature to spin... In addition, when they get older (for a figure skater that is 14-years-old) there are spinning machines that improve their balance... My granddaughter just spent the last two years in FL training with the Russian coaches and they have the girls use the spinning machine 3-times a week...
That’s a very good family tradition. Sports or physical activities done with others can help prepare a person for adult life. Best of luck to your granddaughters.
Anybody not wearing two million sunblock is gonna have a real bad day.
Took me a second - then nearly spit out my first sip of coffee...thanks for starting my morning out right.
I was thinking that if the stars formed at approximately the same time and are of a similar age, that if one cooks off it might cause the other one so close to do so as well.
Now that would be kinda cool, so long as they aren’t pointed directly at us of course...
No worries Gail is going to Oprahs tomorrow and gobble gobble gobble
lol! great! :)
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