wookie
12-19-2006, 07:40 PM
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html) Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2006 December 19
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0612/ngc6357a_hst.jpg (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0612/ngc6357a_hst_big.jpg)
Massive Stars in Open Cluster Pismis 24
Credit: NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/), ESA (http://www.esa.int/) and J. M. Apellniz (IAA (http://www.iaa.es/), Spain). Explanation: How massive can a normal star be? Estimates made from distance, brightness and standard solar models (http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys230/lectures/star_age/star_age.html) had given one star in the open cluster (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/open_clusters.html) Pismis 24 over 200 times the mass of our Sun, making it a record holder. This star is the brightest object located just to the right of the gas front in the above image (http://www.spacetelescope.org/news/html/heic0619.html). Close inspection of images taken recently with the Hubble Space Telescope (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010806.html), however, have shown that Pismis 24-1 derives its brilliant luminosity not from a single star (http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/html/heic0619b.html) but from three at least (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2006astro.ph.12012M). Component stars would still remain near 100 solar masses, making them among the more massive stars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_massive_stars) currently on record. Toward the image left, stars are still forming in the associated emission nebula (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/emission_nebulae.html) NGC 6357 (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991207.html), including several that appear to be breaking out and illuminating a spectacular cocoon (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060507.html).
APOD Editor to Discuss "Best of APOD 2006" Pictures in NYC on January 5 (http://www.aaa.org/aaalecture.htm)
Tomorrow's picture: zoom out (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061220.html)
< (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061218.html) | Archive (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html) | Index (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html) | Search (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search) | Calendar (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html) | Glossary (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html) | Education (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html) | About APOD (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html) | Discuss (http://bb.nightskylive.net/asterisk/viewforum.php?f=9) | > (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061220.html) Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/rjn.html) (MTU (http://www.phy.mtu.edu/)) & Jerry Bonnell (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html) (USRA (http://www.usra.edu/))
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply).
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& Michigan Tech. U. (http://www.mtu.edu/)
Discover the cosmos! (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html) Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2006 December 19
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0612/ngc6357a_hst.jpg (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0612/ngc6357a_hst_big.jpg)
Massive Stars in Open Cluster Pismis 24
Credit: NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/), ESA (http://www.esa.int/) and J. M. Apellniz (IAA (http://www.iaa.es/), Spain). Explanation: How massive can a normal star be? Estimates made from distance, brightness and standard solar models (http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys230/lectures/star_age/star_age.html) had given one star in the open cluster (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/open_clusters.html) Pismis 24 over 200 times the mass of our Sun, making it a record holder. This star is the brightest object located just to the right of the gas front in the above image (http://www.spacetelescope.org/news/html/heic0619.html). Close inspection of images taken recently with the Hubble Space Telescope (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010806.html), however, have shown that Pismis 24-1 derives its brilliant luminosity not from a single star (http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/html/heic0619b.html) but from three at least (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2006astro.ph.12012M). Component stars would still remain near 100 solar masses, making them among the more massive stars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_massive_stars) currently on record. Toward the image left, stars are still forming in the associated emission nebula (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/emission_nebulae.html) NGC 6357 (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991207.html), including several that appear to be breaking out and illuminating a spectacular cocoon (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060507.html).
APOD Editor to Discuss "Best of APOD 2006" Pictures in NYC on January 5 (http://www.aaa.org/aaalecture.htm)
Tomorrow's picture: zoom out (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061220.html)
< (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061218.html) | Archive (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html) | Index (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html) | Search (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search) | Calendar (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html) | Glossary (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html) | Education (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html) | About APOD (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html) | Discuss (http://bb.nightskylive.net/asterisk/viewforum.php?f=9) | > (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061220.html) Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/rjn.html) (MTU (http://www.phy.mtu.edu/)) & Jerry Bonnell (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html) (USRA (http://www.usra.edu/))
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply).
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices (http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html)
A service of: ASD (http://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/) at NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/) / GSFC (http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/)
& Michigan Tech. U. (http://www.mtu.edu/)