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Bow Shock Near Young Star LL Ori
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope continues to reveal various stunning and intricate treasures that reside within the nearby, intense star-forming region known as the Great Nebula in Orion. One such jewel is the bow shock around the very young star, LL Ori, featured in this Hubble Heritage image.
Named for the crescent-shaped wave made by a ship as it moves through water, a bow shock can be created in space when two streams of gas collide. LL Ori emits a vigorous solar wind, a stream of charged particles moving rapidly outward from the star. Our own Sun has a less energetic version of this wind that is responsible for auroral displays on the Earth.
The material in the fast wind from LL Ori collides with slow-moving gas evaporating away from the center of the Orion Nebula, which is located to the lower right in this Heritage image. The surface where the two winds collide is the crescent-shaped bow shock seen in the image.
Unlike a water wave made by a ship, this interstellar bow shock is a three-dimensional structure. The filamentary emission has a very distinct boundary on the side facing away from LL Ori, but is diffuse on the side closest to the star, a characteristic common to many bow shocks.
A second, fainter bow shock can be seen around a star near the upper right-hand corner of the Heritage image. Astronomers have identified numerous shock fronts in this complex star-forming region and are using this data to understand the many complex phenomena associated with the birth of stars.
This image was taken in February 1995 as part of the Hubble Orion Nebula mosaic. A close visitor in our Milky Way galaxy, the nebula is only 1,500 light-years from Earth. The filters used in this color composite represent oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen emissions.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.05h 35m 5.64s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.-5° 25' 19.49"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Orion
- 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.1,500 light-years (460 parsecs)
- DimensionsDimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.The image is roughly 1.8 arcminutes (0.8 light-years) across.
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.Principal Astronomer: C. R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University) - 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.February 3, 1995, Exposure Time: 32 minutes
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F502N ([O III]), F547M (Strömgren y), F656N (H-alpha), and F658N ([N II])
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.Bow Shock Around LL Orionis
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Bow Shock around T-Tauri Star in the Orion Nebula
- Release DateMarch 6, 2002
- Science ReleaseA Bow Shock Near a Young Star
- CreditNASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA); Acknowledgment: C. R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University)
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
