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“Stars of Wonder,”
a music video featuring images from the Hubble Space Telescope with music
composed by Jonn Serrie. |
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THE ROTTEN EGG actually represents the death throes of star OH231.8+4.2
as it turns from a normal red giant star into a planetary nebula, scientists
from NASA and the European Space Agency said in a statement.
Astronomers believe most sunlike stars eventually go through this transformation,
but because it usually happens so quickly, it is rare to capture this kind
of image, the scientists said.
The star is buried at the heart of the image, with gas and dust shooting
out from two opposite directions at high speed. Hubble’s infrared camera
was able to “look” at the dying star through the gas and dust, the scientists
said.
By studying these images, scientists may be able to determine what the
end might be like for stars like the Sun.
But if it’s a dying star, why did they call it a Rotten Egg? Because they
detected lots of sulfur compounds in the gas surrounding the star — and
sulfur compounds are what make rotten eggs stink.
© 1999 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution
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of Reuters.
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