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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
NGC 2440 Nucleus: The Hottest Star?
Explanation: In the center of the above photograph lies a star with one of the hottest surface temperatures yet confirmed. This bright white dwarf star's surface has been measured at greater than 200,000 degrees Celsius - more than 30 times hotter than that of our own Sun . The white dwarf 's extreme heat makes it glow extraordinarily bright: intrinsically more than 250 times brighter than the Sun . The star is at the center of the planetary nebula titled NGC 2440, which lies inside our Milky Way Galaxy . The above computer sharpened image was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope .
| Date | November 30, 1995 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit: NASA, HST, S. R. Heap (GSFC) |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |