Halloween is here and NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope observed a strange “cosmic pumpkin” in the Milky Way galaxy.
A giant star, which is roughly 15 to 20 times heavier than the sun and known as an O-type star, could be to blame for this celestial jack-o’-lantern. Findings from a study published in the Astrophysical Journal suggest that the strong outflow of particles and gas from the star most likely swept the surrounding dust and gas outward, creating the nebula we see above.
It takes more than a candle to light this cosmic pumpkin. 🎃 In this image from @NASASpitzer, a massive star in the center of a cloud of dust and gas creates what researchers have nicknamed the “Jack-o-lantern Nebula.” Look closer: https://t.co/fL1pT4vdJO pic.twitter.com/4p9qB6rc3k
— NASA, but Sp🕸️🕸️ky (@NASA) October 30, 2019
The Spitzer Space Telescope can detect infrared light and it noticed the star in the middle of the “ghoulish gourd,” which is why the authors gave it the spooky nickname.
Three wavelengths of infrared light make up the colorful image of the nebula above. Green and red hues show light emitted mainly by dust radiating at various temperatures, and the combination of green and red results in yellow hues. Blue tones represent a wavelength mostly emitted by stars and some heated regions of the nebula, while white regions depict where the objects are illuminated in all three colors. Right in the heart of a red dust shell near the center of the region is the O-type star, which appears as a white spot.
A high-contract version of the same image brings out all the different wavelengths and combined, the green and red wavelengths create an orange hue, which is why the cloud of gas and dust carved out by an enormous star has a pumpkin-like color.
The study analyzed a region located in the outer region of the Milky Way galaxy. Infrared light was used by researchers to count the young stars in different stages of early development. Researchers also counted protostars, also known as infant stars that are still shielded by dense dust clouds. When the tallies of young stars are put together with tallies of adult stars in these regions, the data will enable scientists to determine if the rates of planet and star formation in the galaxy’s outer regions differ from those in middle and inner regions.
More on Geek.com:
- NASA Debuts ‘Galaxy of Horrors’ Exoplanet Posters for Halloween
- Hubble Captures ‘Ghostly Face’ in ‘Titanic’ Smashup of Two Galaxies
- NASA Shares Blazing ‘Pumpkin Sun’ Image Taken By Satellite
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