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Hot White Dwarf Shines in Young Star Cluster NGC 1818
A dazzling "jewel-box" collection of over 20,000 stars can be seen in crystal clarity in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image, taken with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. The young (40 million year old) cluster, called NGC 1818, is 164,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. The LMC, a site of vigorous current star formation, is an ideal nearby laboratory for studying stellar evolution.
In the cluster, astronomers have found a young white dwarf star, which has only very recently formed following the burnout of a red giant. Based on this observation astronomers conclude that the red giant progenitor star was 7.6 times the mass of our Sun. Previously, astronomers have estimated that stars anywhere from 6 to 10 solar masses would not just quietly fade away as white dwarfs but abruptly self-destruct in torrential explosions.
Hubble can easily resolve the star in the crowded cluster, and detect its intense blue-white glow from a sizzling surface temperature of 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.05h 4m 13.99s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.-66° 26' 6.0"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Dorado
- DistanceDistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.164,000 light-years
- DimensionsDimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.Diameter: 7 arc minutes. Magnitude: 9.7
About the Data
- InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>WFPC2
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.December 1995
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.Filters (I,B,U)
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.NGC 1818
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Rich star cluster
- Release DateApril 9, 1998
- Science ReleaseHubble Finds That Even Massive Stars Just Fade Away
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
