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Hubble’s Latest Views of Light Echo from Star V838 Monocerotis
These are the most recent NASA Hubble Space Telescope views of an unusual phenomenon in space called a light echo. Light from a star that erupted nearly five years ago continues propagating outward through a cloud of dust surrounding the star. The light reflects or "echoes" off the dust and then travels to Earth.
Because of the extra distance the scattered light travels, it reaches the Earth long after the light from the stellar outburst itself. Therefore, a light echo is an analog of a sound echo produced, for example, when sound from an Alpine yodeler echoes off of the surrounding mountainsides.
The echo comes from the unusual variable star V838 Monocerotis (V838 Mon), located 20,000 light-years away on the periphery of our Galaxy. In early 2002, V838 Mon increased in brightness temporarily to become 600,000 times brighter than our Sun. The reason for the eruption is still unclear.
Hubble has been observing the V838 Mon light echo since 2002. Each new observation of the light echo reveals a new and unique "thin-section" through the interstellar dust around the star. The new images of the light echo were taken with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys in November 2005 (left) and September 2006 (right). Particularly noticeable in the images are numerous whorls and eddies in the interstellar dust, which are possibly produced by effects of magnetic fields.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.07h 4m 4.99s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.-3° 50' 50.0"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Monoceros
- 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.The star is ~20,000 light-years (~6 kiloparsecs) away.
- DimensionsDimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.2.5 arcminutes (14 light-years or 4.5 parsecs) wide
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.This image was created from HST data from the following proposals: 10618 and 10913: H. Bond (STScI), R. Wagner (University of Arizona), R. White (STScI), R. Corradi (Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos), L. Crause (University of Cape Town), M. Dopita (Australian National University), A. Henden (United States Naval Observatory), Z. Levay (STScI), U. Munari (Universita di Padova), N. Panagia (STScI/ESA), W. Sparks (STScI), S. Starrfield (Arizona State University), and B. Sugerman (STScI). - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>ACS/WFC
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.November 17, 2005 (left) and September 9, 2006 (right)
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F606W (V) and F814W (I)
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.V838 Monocerotis, V838 Mon
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Nova-like variable star and surrounding light echo
- Release DateOctober 26, 2006
- Science ReleaseHubble’s Latest Views of Light Echo from Star V838 Monocerotis
- Credits
This image is a composite of many separate exposures made by the ACS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Two filters were used to sample broad wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic image. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F606W (V) Greed: F606W (V) + F814W (I) Red: F814W (I)
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
