A stunning image of runaway star HD 77581, creating a bow shock as it travels through interstellar space at over 50 miles per second. The bright star at the center is saturated, showing diffraction spikes. A faint, arcing bow wave of compressed gas is visible, a result of the star's rapid movement. The image hints at the star's origin, linked to a supernova explosion and its companion X-ray pulsar, Vela X-1.

Astronomy Picture from 03/12/1997

Runaway Star

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap971203.html


#RunawayStar #HD77581 #BowShock #InterstellarMedium #SupernovaRemnant #VelaConstellation #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Space #Cosmos #Stars #Pulsar #VelaX1

Image of runaway star HD 77581, a bright star creating a bow shock wave as it travels through interstellar space. The star is over-exposed creating a spiky cross shape in the center of the image. A faint arc of compressed gas is visible behind it. This is likely due to the supernova explosion of its companion star, Vela X-1, a pulsar.

Astronomy Picture from 27/11/1999

Runaway Star

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap991127.html


#RunawayStar #HD77581 #BowShock #InterstellarMedium #SupernovaRemnant #VelaConstellation #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Space #Cosmology #Stars #Pulsar #VelaX1

A stunning infrared image mosaic of the young star cluster RCW38 in the Vela constellation. Hidden by dust in visible light, the cluster reveals itself in infrared, showcasing bright blue stars, glowing gas clouds, and dramatic dark dust lanes. This 10 light-year-wide region is located approximately 5500 light-years from Earth.

Astronomy Picture from 17/07/2002

Star-Forming Region RCW38 from 2MASS

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap020717.html


#InfraredAstronomy #StarCluster #RCW38 #HiddenStars #Nebula #2MASSSkySurvey #VelaConstellation #Space #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Cosmology #StarFormation #DustClouds