WR 25 is likely to be the most massive and interesting of the two. They interest astronomers because they are associated with star-forming nebulae, and influence the structure and evolution of galaxies. Stars like WR 25 and Tr16-244 are relatively rare compared to other, cooler types. The second brightest, to the left of WR 25, is a low mass star located much closer to the Earth than the Carina Nebula. The neighbouring Tr16-244 is the third brightest, just to the upper left of WR 25. WR 25 is the brightest, situated near the centre of the image. They are so powerful that they burn through their hydrogen fuel source faster than other types of stars, leading to a "live fast, die young" lifestyle. As well as producing incredible amounts of heat, these stars are also very bright, emitting most of their radiation in the ultraviolet and appearing blue in colour. The Carina Nebula contains several ultra-hot stars, including these two star systems and the famous blue star Eta Carinae, which has the highest luminosity yet confirmed. This cluster is embedded within the Carina Nebula, an immense cauldron of gas and dust that lies approximately 7500 light-years from Earth. The image shows a pair of colossal stars, WR 25 and Tr16-244, located within the open cluster Trumpler 16. They have, until recently, been shrouded in mystery, but the new image shows them in greater detail than ever before. Hubble observations of the Crab Nebula along with data from other observatories have been used to investigate the expansion and magnetic fields of the nebula remnant from the explosion.įor more information please visit: /contents/news-releases/2005/news-2005-37.Two of our Galaxy's most massive stars have been scrutinised in an impressive view by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. This has been attributed to the sideways motion of the neutron star in the northwest (upper right) direction. Hubble has been used to determine several northwest-southeast (upper right to lower left) asymmetries in the nebula's filaments, as well as the development of long "fingers" of gas and dust. This limits our understanding of the structure of the nebula and what role magnetic fields may play as the material expands outward and eventually combines with other material to form new stars. It has been found that the knots lie relatively close to the source of the ionizing radiation, which may lead to higher gas temperatures of the knots than expected. When viewed by Hubble, as well as by large, ground-based telescopes, the Crab Nebula takes on a more detailed appearance that yields clues into the spectacular demise of the star. The nebula derived its name from its appearance in an 1844 drawing made by Irish astronomer Lord Rosse, who used a 36-inch telescope. It has the mass equivalent to the Sun crammed into a rapidly spinning ball of neutrons 12 miles across. From Earth, it appears to pulse 30 times a second due to the neutron star's rotation sweeping the beams across our line of sight. Like a lighthouse, the neutron star produces twin beams of radiation. The blue light comes from electrons whirling at nearly the speed of light around magnetic field lines from the neutron star, which is the crushed, ultra-dense core of the exploded star. The rapidly spinning neutron star embedded in the center of the nebula is the dynamo powering the nebula's eerie interior bluish glow. The orange filaments are the tattered remains of the star and consist mostly of hydrogen. The composite was assembled from 24 individual exposures taken with Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 in October 1999, January 2000, and December 2000. It is also the highest resolution image ever made of the entire Crab Nebula, which is located 6,500 light-years away. This Hubble mosaic is one of the largest images ever taken of a supernova remnant by the space telescope. The glowing relic has been expanding since the star exploded, and it is now approximately 11 light-years in width. Japanese and Chinese astronomers recorded this violent event nearly 1,000 years ago in 1054 AD, as likely did the Native Americans. The Crab Nebula is an expanding remnant of a star's supernova explosion.
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