APOD: IRAS 05437 2502: An Enigmatic Star... (2010 Aug 09)

[APOD Robot]

IRAS 05437 2502: An Enigmatic Star Cloud from Hubble

Explanation: What's lighting up nebula IRAS 05437+2502? No one is sure. Particularly enigmatic is the bright upside-down V that defines the upper edge of this floating mountain of interstellar dust, visible near the image center. In general, this ghost-like nebula involves a small star forming region filled with dark dust that was first noted in images taken by the IRAS satellite in infrared light in 1983. Shown above is a spectacular, recently released image from the Hubble Space Telescope that, although showing many new details, has not uncovered a clear cause of the bright sharp arc. One hypothesis holds that the glowing arc was created by a massive star that somehow attained a high velocity and has now left the nebula. Small, faint IRAS 05437+2502 spans only 1/18th of a full moon toward the constellation of the Bull (Taurus).

<< Previous APOD

Discuss Any APOD

Next APOD >>

[/b]

[Beyond]

What a nice picture! It looks soft and comfy - like Home. Is there a picture that shows more area?

[Noah]

Not noted in the description is the fact that the "bright V" actually seems to be the tip of an even larger "V". It looks like a flashlight beam in a dusty room.

[BMAONE23]

To me it resembles children in school being enlightened by their teacher although they are all shrouded in a Gossamer Mystery

[Lasse H]

How could a star that has already left the nebula still light up the arc? My suggestion for an explanation is that there is a very bright star, just hiding behind the pyramid of dark gas, but showing itself by illuminating the fringes of the upside-down 'V'. Just like the hair

light on hair from behind

motljus.jpg (23.15 KiB) Viewed 4496 times

in a back-lit portrait.

[FrogSplash]

Going with Greek mythology. The Upside-down V looks like mount Olympus and the bright star next to it could be Zeus's home.

FS

[pacfandave]

Looks to me like Galacticus is about to ingest a star.

[orin stepanek]

It looks like it may be making it's own light.

[neufer]

elVis has now left the nebula, ladies & gentlemen!
elVis has left the nebula

<<The little-known nebula IRAS 05437+2502 billows out among the bright stars and dark dust clouds that surround it in this striking image from the Hubble Space Telescope. It is located in the constellation of Taurus (the Bull), close to the central plane of our Milky Way galaxy. Unlike many of Hubble’s targets, this object has not been studied in detail and its exact nature is unclear. At first glance it appears to be a small, rather isolated, region of star formation and one might assume that the effects of fierce ultraviolet radiation from bright young stars probably were the cause of the eye-catching shapes of the gas. However, the bright boomerang-shaped feature may tell a more dramatic tale. The interaction of a high velocity young star and the cloud of gas and dust may have created this unusually sharp-edged bright arc. Such a reckless star would have been ejected from the distant young cluster where it was born and would travel at 200,000 km/hour or more through the nebula.>>

New Horizons spacecraft has been traveling at 67,000 km/hour towards Pluto.
We are all traveling at about 107,000 km/hour around the sun.
The Helios space probe attained a peak speed of 243,000 km/hour.

[ozalba]

It strikes me that we are not looking at a backlit cone-shaped 'floating mountain', but a backlit v-shaped 'arch'. There does appear to be a star at the apex of the arch, which would seem to be a candidate for the source of the light, but it could also be another star hidden from view, higher up. Further, the lower sections of the inverted V could be generated by a shadow effect, rather than being the physical edge of a cloud (think crepuscular rays).

[Henning Makholm]

How could a star that has already left the nebula still light up the arc?

By having heated up the arc material enough that it is still hot enough to glow on its own.

The image is not in true color, so the arc does not have to be quite as hot as it looks. There is some near-infrared in it. Its continuous spectrum would be rather interesting to have, I think ...

[bystander]

First seen on the Observation Deck, here and here.

[bluebird]

Might want to consider a "Fusion Nebula" - a section of a nebula where the density/temp have achieved the levels to achieve a sustaining fusion reaction.

[mihondo2010]

Can one use 'reverse ray tracing' to figure out the source of the light? Some parts of the cloud is in shadow, some in light. Might be possible to calculate from that where the source of light is / was.

[grc5344]

the star is at the tip of the v,moving very fast thru the dust cloud and leaving a bow wake,there are two stern wakes below the v.

[Henning Makholm]

Might want to consider a "Fusion Nebula" - a section of a nebula where the density/temp have achieved the levels to achieve a sustaining fusion reaction.

That's called "star formation".

It is impossible to meet the required conditions simultaneously in an area large enough to quailfy as a nebula in itself. So much matter would be needed that the entire region would acquire an event horizon and collapse into a black hole.

[Ann]

ElVis has left the nebula, leaving his V behind!

Elis has left the nebula!

Ann

[León]

Although difficult to secure, it appears that the peak will become a protostar section where it appears bright, in fact, all the upper sections of the dust are slightly active.


It's classic aphorism "stardust" is proven that it will be born a new "star of dust"

[neufer]

ElVis has left the nebula, leaving his V behind!

Elis has left the nebula!

<<Elis (Ancient Greek: Ἦλις) is an ancient district in southern Greece on the Peloponnesos peninsula. The first Olympic festival was organized in Elean land, Olympia, Greece by the authorities of Elis in 776 BCE. The local form of the name was Valis, or Valeia, and its meaning, in all probability, “the lowland” (compare with the word "Valley"). According to Strabo, the first settlement was created by Oxylus the Aetolian. The city, built in 471 BC, had the authority of the Olympic games and believed to be a holy city, so was unwalled. The Eleans built a temple dedicated to Hades in one of the precincts of Elis. Once a year, the doors to the Temple of Hades would open, however, no one would enter bar the priests.>>

<<The Presely Hills or Presely Mountains (Welsh: Mynydd Y Preseli / Y Preselau) are a range of hills in north Pembrokeshire, West Wales. The hills rise to 536 metres above sea level at Foel Cwmcerwyn and are dotted with prehistoric remains including evidence of Neolithic settlement. In 1923, the petrologist Herbert Henry Thomas identified that Bluestone from the hills corresponded to that used to build the inner circle of Stonehenge.>>

[wbk79]

The minute I saw this I thought of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry... it looks like the castle.

[biddie67]

This is a spectacular photo - it could be used as a Christmas card .....

[mexhunter]

Hello to all:
It is a magical area.
Regards
Cesar

[moonstruck]

God bless the Hubble Space Telescope---- and the guys who made it especially.

[aviatorone]

They should rename this to, "Gods Hand'.

[BMAONE23]

They should rename this to, "Gods Hand'.

Actually, I think this APOD would more aptly carry that title