This sequence of images from the Hubble Space Telescope shows a pulse of light emanating from the protostellar object LRLL 54361. Most if not all of this light results from scattering off circumstellar dust in the protostellar envelope.
An apparent edge-on disk visible at the center of the object and three separate structures are interpreted as outflow cavities. The extent and shape of the scattered light changes substantially over a 25.34-day period.
This is caused by the propagation of the light pulse through the nebula. Astronomers propose that the flashes are due to material in a circumstellar disk suddenly being dumped onto a binary pair of forming stars. This unleashes a blast of radiation each time the stars get close to each other in their orbit.
These false color, near-infrared-light photos are from Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3.
Credits
NASA, ESA, J. Muzerolle (STScI), E. Furlan (NOAO and Caltech), K. Flaherty (University of Arizona/Steward Observatory), Z. Balog (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy), and R. Gutermuth (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | LRLL 54361, L54361 |
| Object Description | Protostar |
| R.A. Position | 03h 43m 50.99s |
| Dec. Position | 32° 2' 48.0" |
| Constellation | Perseus |
| Distance | 950 light-years (290 parsecs) |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The image was created from Hubble data from proposal : J. Muzerolle (PI; STScI) and collaborators. The science team comprises: J. Muzerolle (STScI), E. Furlan (NOAO and Caltech), K. Flaherty (Steward Obervatory), Z. Balog (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg), and R. Gutermuth (University of Massachusetts, Amherst). |
| Instrument | HST>WFC3/IR |
| Exposure Dates | December 3 - 26, 2010 |
| Filters | F160W (H) |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | The Hubble images were originally black and white and recorded only overall brightness. These brightness values were translated into a range of reddish hues. Such color "maps" can be useful in helping to distinguish subtly varying brightness in an image. |
| Compass Image |  |
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
| Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
| R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
| Distance | The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. |
| Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description |
|
| Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
| Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
| Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
| About The Image | |
| Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
| Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |
