Curious spiral spotted by ALMA around red giant star R Sculptoris (data visualisation)

Eso_eso1239a_1024

eso_eso1239a October 10th, 2012

Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/M. Maercker et al.

Observations using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have revealed an unexpected spiral structure in the material around the old star R Sculptoris. This feature has never been seen before and is probably caused by a hidden companion star orbiting the star. This slice through the new ALMA data reveals the shell around the star, which shows up as the outer circular ring, as well as a very clear spiral structure in the inner material.

Provider: European Southern Observatory

Image Source: https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1239a/

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 Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
R Sculptoris
Subject - Milky Way
Star > Evolutionary Stage > Red Giant
Star > Type > Variable
Star > Circumstellar Material

Color Mapping Details Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Pseudocolor ALMA (None) Millimeter (ALMA Band 7) 870.0 µm
Spectrum_ir1
Pseudocolor
Eso_eso1239a_1280
×
ID
eso1239a
Subject Category
B.3.1.4   B.3.2.1   B.3.7  
Subject Name
R Sculptoris
Credits
ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/M. Maercker et al.
Release Date
2012-10-10T19:00:00
Lightyears
Redshift
Reference Url
https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1239a/
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Distance Notes
Facility
Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array
Instrument
None
Color Assignment
Pseudocolor
Band
Millimeter
Bandpass
ALMA Band 7
Central Wavelength
870000
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
Equinox
Reference Value
Reference Dimension
3600.0, 2250.0
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
eso1239a
Resource URL
https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/original/eso1239a.tif
Related Resources
Metadata Date
2012-10-02T12:00:14+02:00
Metadata Version
1.1
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