Antares
Explanation:
Antares is a huge star. In a class called
red supergiant, Antares is about 700 times the size of our own
Sun, 15 times more massive, and 10,000 times brighter.
Antares is the brightest star in the constellation of
Scorpius and one of the
brighter stars in all the night sky.
Antares is surrounded by a
nebula of gas which it has itself expelled. Radiation from
Antares' blue stellar companion helps cause the nebular gas to glow, as photographed
above.
Antares is located about
500 light years away.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
