船底座Eta星
(原标题: Doomed Star Eta Carinae)
2023-07-09
浏览次数: 15
船底座星可能就要爆炸了。但没人知道是什么时候——可能是明年，也可能是一百万年以后。船底二的质量——大约是太阳的100倍——使它成为一颗完全成熟的超新星的绝佳候选者。历史记录确实表明，大约170年前，船底座埃塔经历了一次不寻常的爆发，使它成为南部天空中最亮的恒星之一。位于锁眼星云中的船底二星是目前唯一一颗被认为能发射天然激光的恒星。这张特色图片展示了围绕这颗流浪恒星的不寻常星云的细节。由望远镜引起的衍射尖峰，可以看到从船底星中心发出的明亮的多色条纹。小矮人星云的两个不同的裂片环绕着热的中心区域，而一些奇怪的放射状条纹在图像右侧可见。这些叶状体充满了气体和尘埃，它们吸收了中心附近发出的蓝光和紫外光。然而，这些条纹仍然无法解释。
查看原文解释
Carinae may be about to explode. But no one knows when - it may be next year, it may be one million years from now. Eta Carinae's mass - about 100 times greater than our Sun - makes it an excellent candidate for a full blown supernova. Historical records do show that about 170 years ago Eta Carinae underwent an unusual outburst that made it one of the brightest stars in the southern sky. Eta Carinae, in the Keyhole Nebula, is the only star currently thought to emit natural LASER light. This featured image brings out details in the unusual nebula that surrounds this rogue star. Diffraction spikes, caused by the telescope, are visible as bright multi-colored streaks emanating from Eta Carinae's center. Two distinct lobes of the Homunculus Nebula encompass the hot central region, while some strange radial streaks are visible in red extending toward the image right. The lobes are filled with lanes of gas and dust which absorb the blue and ultraviolet light emitted near the center. The streaks, however, remain unexplained.
© NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing & License: Judy Schmidt