WR 104: A Pinwheel Star System
Explanation:
Might this giant pinwheel one-day destroy us?
Probably not, but investigation of the unusual star system
Wolf-Rayet 104 has turned up an
unexpected threat.
The unusual
pinwheel pattern has been found to be created by energetic
winds of gas and dust that are expelled and intertwine as two massive stars
orbit each other.
One system component is a
Wolf-Rayet star, a tumultuous
orb in the last stage of
evolution
before it explodes in a
supernova -- and event possible anytime in the
next million years.
Research into the spiral pattern of the emitted dust, however,
indicates the we are looking nearly straight down the
spin axis of the system -- possibly the same axis along which a powerful jet
would emerge were the supernova accompanied by a
gamma-ray burst.
Now the WR 104 supernova itself will likely be an impressive but harmless spectacle.
Conversely, were Earth really near the center of the powerful GRB beam, even the
explosion's 8,000
light year distance
might not be far enough to protect us.
Currently, neither
WR 104 nor GRB beams are understood well enough to know the real level of
danger.
Best space images:
Free APOD Lecture in Paris on June 17
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.
