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Hubble reveals Lupus 3 cloud forming new stars.
Summary
Hubble's image of the Lupus 3 cloud, about 500 light-years away in Scorpius, shows T Tauri stars and wisps of gas in an active star-forming region.
Content
A new Hubble Space Telescope image shows the Lupus 3 cloud, a star-forming region about 500 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. White wisps of gas and a dark dust cloud appear in the scene, and several young stellar objects are visible. Bright T Tauri stars appear at the left, bottom right, and upper center of the image. T Tauri stars are early-stage objects typically less than 10 million years old and show brightness variations linked to accretion disk activity, material falling onto the star, flares, and large rotating starspots.
Key details:
- Lupus 3 is approximately 500 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius.
- The Hubble image shows white gas wisps and a dark dust cloud in the lower-left area.
- Bright T Tauri stars are visible at specific positions in the image (left, bottom right, upper center).
- T Tauri stars are generally under 10 million years old and vary in brightness for several physical reasons.
- Variability can be caused by instabilities in the accretion disk, infalling material, stellar flares, and rotating large starspots.
Summary:
The image illustrates active early stages of star formation and the features astronomers study to understand how stars form. Undetermined at this time.
