Key Takeaways
1. Hubble focused on the star-forming area known as Lupus 3, located about 500 light-years away in the Scorpius constellation.
2. The bright mist in the image is interstellar gas illuminated by nearby stars, with dark dust visible in the lower left.
3. T Tauri stars, which are under 10 million years old and not yet stable, are prominent in the image.
4. The brightness of T Tauri stars varies due to radiation and stellar winds clearing surrounding gas and dust.
5. Brightness changes may result from instabilities in the accretion disk around the stars and the presence of rotating sunspots.
Hubble has focused on a star-forming area known as Lupus 3, which is situated roughly 500 light-years away in the Scorpius constellation. The bright mist captured in the image is created by interstellar gas that is lit up by nearby stars. Additionally, dark dust can be seen on the lower left part of the image.
T Tauri Stars Shine Bright
In this image, a cluster of stars called T Tauri stars are particularly prominent. These stars are located at the left, bottom right, and upper center of the image. T Tauri stars are quite young, at under 10 million years old, and they haven’t yet reached the stable hydrogen fusion stage necessary to become main-sequence stars.
Understanding Their Brightness
The visibility of the T Tauri stars in this image is due to their current phase, where radiation and stellar winds are clearing away the surrounding gas and dust. They exhibit variability in brightness, which can change both randomly and in a periodic manner.
What Causes Brightness Changes?
The randomness in the brightness of these stars might stem from instabilities within the dust and gas disk around them, known as an accretion disk. As material from this disk falls onto the stars, it may be consumed or cause flares on the star’s surface, adding to the fluctuations. The periodic changes in brightness could be linked to large sunspots that rotate in and out of sight.
This image, along with similar ones, provides a valuable chance for researchers to gain a deeper understanding of how stars are formed.
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