Herschel telescope 'fingerprints' colossal star

The biggest known star in the universe is about to go bang. If we're lucky we may even see it in our lifetimes..Bring your popcorn. parrot

The death throes of one of the biggest stars known to science have been spied by Europe's Herschel space telescope.

The observatory, launched in May, has subjected VY Canis Majoris, to a detailed spectroscopic analysis.

It has allowed Herschel to identify the different types of molecules and atoms that swirl away from the star which is 20-25 times the mass of our Sun.

VY Canis Majoris is some 4,500 light-years from Earth and it could be seen to explode as a supernova at any time.

It is colossal. If VY Canis Majoris were sited at the centre of our Solar System, its surface would extend out towards the orbit of Saturn.

The star, in the constellation Canis Major, has been recorded by astronomers for at least 200 years.

It is what is called a red hypergiant - a highly evolved object that is exhausting its nuclear fuel.

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"One of the most common molecules you see in this type of observation is carbon monoxide," explained Professor Matt Griffin, the Spire principal investigator from Cardiff University, UK.

"That's because carbon and oxygen are two of the most common materials produced in stars and they like to get together, so interstellar space is full of carbon monoxide. From our CO lines we can measure the temperature of the gas and by comparing them with other lines we can also measure density and optical depth and all kinds of other parameters.

"The other lines we're seeing in abundance in both Pacs and Spire spectra are water. Water is very important astrophysically because it is a diagnostic - it tells us a lot about the physical and chemical processes going on in a gas.

Full article here.

More about this whopper here and here.

Hubble pics here.

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Topic: Herschel telescope 'fingerprints' colossal star

osmanthus

OP - December 10, 2009, 08:11 AM

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