The expanding shell around V445 Puppis

Eso_eso0943a_1024

eso_eso0943a November 17th, 2009

Credit: ESO/P.A. Woudt

Using the NACO adaptive optics instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope and its ability to obtain images as sharp as if taken from space, astronomers have made the first time-lapse movie of a bipolar shell ejected by a “vampire star”, which underwent an outburst after gulping down part of its companion’s matter. This enabled them to determine the distance and intrinsic brightness of the object. It appears that this system is a prime candidate to be one of the long-sought progenitors of the exploding stars known as Type Ia supernovae, critical for the study of dark energy. The images of V445 Puppis cover a time span of two years. The images unambiguously show a bipolar shell, initially with a very narrow waist, with lobes on each side. Two knots are also seen at either extreme end of the shell, which appear to move at about 30 million kilometres per hour. The shell — unlike any previously observed for a nova — is itself moving at about 24 million kilometres per hour. A thick disc of dust, which must have been produced during the last outburst, obscures the central couple of stars.

Provider: European Southern Observatory

Image Source: https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso0943a/

Curator: European Southern Observatory, Garching bei München, Germany

Image Use Policy: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

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Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
V445 Puppis
Subject - Milky Way
Star > Type > Variable > Nova

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Pseudocolor VLT (NACO) Infrared (Near-IR) -
Eso_eso0943a_1280
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ID
eso0943a
Subject Category
B.3.2.1.5  
Subject Name
V445 Puppis
Credits
ESO/P.A. Woudt
Release Date
2009-11-17T00:00:00
Lightyears
Redshift
Reference Url
https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso0943a/
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Distance Notes
Facility
Very Large Telescope
Instrument
NACO
Color Assignment
Pseudocolor
Band
Infrared
Bandpass
Near-IR
Central Wavelength
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
Equinox
Reference Value
Reference Dimension
1000.0, 1000.0
Reference Pixel
Scale
Rotation
Coordinate System Projection:
Quality
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
European Southern Observatory
URL
http://www.eso.org/
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2
City
Garching bei München
State/Province
Postal Code
D-85748
Country
Germany
Rights
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Publisher
European Southern Observatory
Publisher ID
eso
Resource ID
eso0943a
Metadata Date
2009-11-12T14:58:12+01:00
Metadata Version
1.1
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