船底AG的爆发云

2021年05月26日

The Outburst Clouds of Star AG Car
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI; Processing: Judy Schmidt; Text: Anders Nyholm

Explanation: What created these unusual clouds? At the center of this 2021 Hubble image sits AG Carinae, a supergiant star located about 20,000 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina. The star’s emitted power is over a million times that of the Sun, making AG Carinae one of the most luminous stars in our Milky Way galaxy. AG Carinae and its neighbor Eta Carinae belong to the scarce Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) class of stars, known for their rare but violent eruptions. The nebula that surrounds AG Car is interpreted as a remnant of one or more such outbursts. This nebula measures 5 light-years across, is estimated to contain about 10 solar masses of gas, and to be at least 10,000 years old. This Hubble image, taken to commemorate Hubble’s 31st launch anniversary, is the first to capture the whole nebula, offering a new perspective on its structure and dust content. The LBVs represent a late and short stage in the lives of some supergiant stars, but explaining their restlessness remains a challenge to humanity’s understanding of how massive stars work.

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船底AG的爆发云
影像提供: NASA, ESA, STScI; 影像处理: Judy Schmidt; 文稿: Anders Nyholm

说明: 这些不寻常的云气是怎么产生的？位在这幅2021年哈伯影像中心的船底AG，是南天船底座方向，约20,000光年远处的一颗超巨星。辐射功率是太阳1百多万倍的船底AG，则是我们银河系最明亮的恒星之一。船底AG和它邻近的海山二，分类是以会发生剧烈爆发而著称的罕见高光度蓝变星（LBV）。因此船底AG周围的星云，据信是过去发生过剧烈爆发的遗迹。这个宽约5光年、拥有约10倍太阳质量的星云，年龄至少有10,000年。这幅用于庆祝哈勃31周年庆的哈伯影像，除了是首张记录此星云全貌的影像之外，也让我们得以用全新的视角，了解它的结构和尘埃含量。高光度蓝变星是部分超巨星，在生命末期的短暂阶段。不过，为何它们的爆发会如此剧烈，仍是人类在了解大质量恒星的行为之待解课题。

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