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Posted Apr. 17, 2007, 9:59 p.m. PT
Red Square Nebula -- The Death of a Star
By Ann Magnuson
What you see here is a dying star. Called the "Red Square," this particular nebula displays a unique symmetry that is dazzling astronomers and layfolk alike! Thanks to infrared cameras at two different observatories, this composite image can now replace your old screen saver. And provide a rather effective mandala for meditation as well.
According to New Scientist Space, the reasons for this memorable exit are unclear. "Towards the end of their lives," the site reads, "many low-mass stars, like the Sun, slough off their outer layers to produce striking 'planetary' nebulae. But the hot star at the heart of the Red Square nebula, called MWC 922, appears to be relatively massive, suggesting another process formed its signature shape."
And according to National Geographic's website, "few other such nebula have been detected -- among them the Red Rectangle Nebula in the constellation Monoceros -- but what causes the phenomena has been poorly understood. Scientists say the new image shows the Red Square to be a bipolar nebula, with stellar winds blowing cone-shaped jets away from its hot central star. "
If only some of the bipolar central stars currently blowing hot stellar wind out here in Hollywood could burn out so spectacularly!
Comments
I remember picking up carl Sagans Cosmos book around 13 or 15 years ....I was striken with horror about the fact that one day our sun will become a huge red dwarf star eventually swallowing all the planets in the solar system .....this really affected me and I could not stop pestering my father and his wife about it.....for some reason they could not see the horror I see and still see in this scenario.I realize it will not affect me in long run ....but still its there.Does the knowledge of the cosmos not make the vast problems and things we deem important seem insignificant (....not Insignifiance...which is a really good movie by the way about a fictional meeting between Marilyn Monroe and Einstein ...directed by Nicolas Roeg )this still haunts me ;mainly when in L.A. traffic or paying bills. P.S. yes this will ultimately happen to Lindsay Lohan as well as Shia LaBeouf ....Im told that i should love them both and that they are great acting talents but I still do not get the hype beyond Lohans HOT looks.....and Disturbia being a rip off remake of Hitchcocks Rear Window.....James Dean now he went out in style and and became a really bright Nebula that still shines.
Posted at 4:51 p.m. PT on Apr 17, 2007 by randy focazio
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