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master_q

Impending Stellar Catastrophe

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Impending Stellar Catastrophe

 

hf_chandra_ngc6888_01.jpg

 

The Chandra X-ray Observatory has picked up the first scenes of an "Impending Stellar Catastrophe"

 

The star HD 192163 is just waiting for a supernova explosion (but it's going to happen 100,000 years in the future).

 

Click for Spoiler:

031015_chandra_explosion_02.jpg

 

 

The initial steps to oblivion involved some expansion. HD 192163 grew to become a red giant and ejected its outer layers at about 20,000 mph. Some 200,000 years later -- a blink of the eye in the life of a normal star -- the intense radiation from the exposed hot, inner layer of the star began pushing gas away at speeds in excess of 3 million mph.

 

When this high speed "stellar wind" rammed into the slower red giant wind that had been sent out previously, a dense shell formed. In the image, a portion of the shell is shown in red. The force of the collision created two shock waves: one that moved outward from the dense shell to create the green filamentary structure, and one that moved inward to produce a bubble of million degree Celsius X-ray emitting gas (blue).

Space.COM

 

Location (let's look at the big picture)

Click for Spoiler:

031015_chandra_2_02.jpg

 

 

 

Master Q

StarTrek_Master_Q@yahoo.com

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