Hubble Shoots Movies of Stellar Jets

With his first accepted submission, aglider writes "A number of different science publications are reporting on a recent announcement made by NASA and Hubblesite.org. Quoting: 'A team of scientists [headed by Rice astronomer Patrick Hartigan] has collected enough high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope images over a 14-year period to stitch together time-lapse movies of powerful jets ejected from three young stars. The jets, a byproduct of gas accretion around newly forming stars, shoot off at supersonic speeds in opposite directions through space.' The report is also accompanied by a number of photos and, of course, astounding small movies. The complete scientific study, which dates back to 2011.07.20, has been published in the Astrophysical Journal (subscription needed) but is also available on the ESA's Space Telescope site (PDF)."

Comments

Re:SuperSONIC speeds...

[Stoutlimb]

of course, it means faster than the speed of sound in a vacuum...

Re:Is that a jet or a tail?

[Anonymous Coward]

The tail of a comet is caused by the star around which it orbits heating it up and blowing off the dust into a 'tail' shape. The tail does not trail behind the comet as it moves, but points away from the star it is orbiting.

Re:Finally!

[CheshireDragon]

It would have to be done in still images as well since stars take days(and larger stars weeks) to fully explode. It would be nice to see a well pieced together time lapse video of a star exploding though.

Insects, we

[Lexx Greatrex]

Does this give anyone else the impression that we are like insects, living, moving, dying too fast to appreciate the slowly unfolding majesty of the Universe?

Re:Insects, we

[Bucc5062]

I wont go so far as reduce us to insects, but I'll agree this blows me away. The universe continues to humble me with its complete beauty and art. Yes art, on a scale we can barely imagine. The first alien ship that passes by us asks if any one wants a one way ride out to see these sights close up...I'm in.

What is sad for me is that we have these amazing minds that can imagine, create, and explore worlds beyond our horizons, but we are ruled by insects who's lives are measured in quarterly reports, and how many grubs they can hold on to, and how many soldiers they can control. Man is not limited by our mind, we are limited by insects disguised as decision makes and political leaders. I believe one day humans will travel past our own system, and images like this will inspire young minds to make it happen.

Re:Insects, we

[MJKong]

No not at all. Insects can't take pictures of matter located light years away. It really bother me when people say "We're really nothing, tiny insects roaming a small particle of dust floating in the universe".

Re:Insects, we

[Urkki]

No, we're not at all like insects. Insects are "cold-blooded", have chitinous exoskeleton and six legs, often wings and webbed eyes. We're very different. There's been like 600+ million years of evolution since our last common ancestor.

Sheesh, don't they teach biology in schools any more?

Re:SuperSONIC speeds...

[Anonymous Coward]

speed of sound (in the interstellar medium) is about 100 km/s

(source)

Yes, really.

Moron.

Re:Is that a jet or a tail?

[Doubting Sapien]

From one of the videos it looks like a tail caused by the star moving... Could there be star-sized comets in the universe?

It depends on what you want to call a comet. The "dirty snow balls" at the nucleus of all the comet pictures you'd normally see are no bigger than an asteroid. When activated by solar energy, they develop a coma of gaseous material that is several times larger than the nucleus, but still pretty small. If you count the tail that streams away from the star, then yes: it is possible to say a particularly large and active comet can conceivably approach the diameter of a star. However, even as such, no comets are observable with today's technology at stellar distances of the order those Hubble observations are made.

if you'd left off the 'moron'

[decora]

i would have modded you up