The Heart in NGC 346
Explanation:
Yes, it's
Valentine's Day (!) and
looking toward star cluster
NGC 346
in our neighboring galaxy
the
Small
Magellanic Cloud, astronomers have noted
this heart-shaped cloud of hot, x-ray emitting gas
in the cluster's central region.
The false-color Chandra Observatory
x-ray image
also shows a strong
x-ray source just above the heart-shaped cloud which corresponds
to HD 5980, a remarkable, massive binary star system that lies within
the cluster.
HD 5980
has been known to undergo dramatic brightness variations,
in 1994 briefly outshining all other stars in the
Small Magellanic Cloud, and has been likened to
the luminous, eruptive variable star
Eta Carinae in our own Milky Way galaxy.
At about 100 light-years across,
NGC 346's
heart-shaped cloud is probably the result of an ancient
supernova explosion.
Alternatively it may
have been produced during past eruptions from the HD 5980 system, analogous
to the nebula associated with
Eta Carinae.
Tomorrow's picture: lost world
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.
