Star has comet-like tail
Posted: Thu, Aug 16, 2007, 9:37 AM ET (1337 GMT)
Ultraviolet images taken by a NASA spacecraft have revealed that a well-known star has a comet-like tail that extends for over a dozen light-years. Images of the star Mira taken by NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spacecraft revealed the tail, the first time a star has been found to have such a feature. Astronomers believe the tail consists of material that has been blown off of the aging red giant over the last 30,000 years. The tail exists because the star, about 350 light-years from Earth, is moving relatively rapidly. The tail glows principally in ultraviolet light, which helps explain why it was not previously observed.
Ultraviolet images taken by a NASA spacecraft have revealed that a well-known star has a comet-like tail that extends for over a dozen light-years. Images of the star Mira taken by NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spacecraft revealed the tail, the first time a star has been found to have such a feature. Astronomers believe the tail consists of material that has been blown off of the aging red giant over the last 30,000 years. The tail exists because the star, about 350 light-years from Earth, is moving relatively rapidly. The tail glows principally in ultraviolet light, which helps explain why it was not previously observed.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Tuesday, January 13
SpaceX successfully launches 29 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral
WESH-TV Orlando — 6:23 am ET (1123 GMT) Groton fuel cell company clears key test for NASA moon missions
Hartford (CT) Business Journal — 6:17 am ET (1117 GMT) Türkiye’s space tech company Plan-S expands satellite constellation to 16 with new SpaceX launch
Turkiye Today — 6:15 am ET (1115 GMT) SpaceX Sweeps Another Round of Space Force’s More Commercial-Like Launch Orders
Air and Space Forces Magazine — 6:14 am ET (1114 GMT) SpaceX Rideshare Launches Kepler’s Initial Data Relay Sats
Aviation Week — 6:14 am ET (1114 GMT) |
