韦伯WR 140附近的尘埃壳
(原标题: Dust Shells around WR 140 from Webb)
2025-01-29
浏览次数: 21
那些奇怪的环是什么？这些环富含尘埃，很可能是3D外壳，但它们是如何形成的仍然是一个研究课题。它们是在哪里被创造出来的是众所周知的：在一个双星系统中，它位于大约6000光年外的天鹅星座（天鹅座）——一个由沃尔夫-拉叶星WR 140主导的系统。沃尔夫-拉叶星质量巨大，明亮，以其动荡的风而闻名。它们还以创造和分散碳等重元素而闻名，碳是星际尘埃的组成部分。双星中的另一颗恒星也很明亮，质量也很大，但没有那么活跃。这两颗巨大的恒星每八年在一个椭圆形轨道上相互接近。当最接近时，系统的x射线辐射增加，显然，尘埃被驱逐到太空中——形成另一个外壳。韦伯太空望远镜拍摄的这张特色红外图像比以往任何时候都能分辨出更多的细节和更多的尘埃壳。连续几年拍摄的照片显示，这些贝壳向外移动。
查看原文解释
What are those strange rings? Rich in dust, the rings are likely 3D shells -- but how they were created remains a topic of research. Where they were created is well known: in a binary star system that lies about 6,000 light years away toward the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus) -- a system dominated by the Wolf-Rayet star WR 140. Wolf-Rayet stars are massive, bright, and known for their tumultuous winds. They are also known for creating and dispersing heavy elements such as carbon, which is a building block of interstellar dust. The other star in the binary is also bright and massive -- but not as active. The two great stars joust in an oblong orbit as they approach each other about every eight years. When at closest approach, the X-ray emission from the system increases, as, apparently, does the dust expelled into space -- creating another shell. The featured infrared image by the Webb Space Telescope resolves greater details and more dust shells than ever before. Images taken over consecutive years show the shells moving outward.