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IMAGE: This illustration of the newly forming exoplanet PDS 70b shows how material may be falling onto the giant world as it builds up mass. By employing Hubble s ultraviolet light (UV). view more
Credit: Credits: NASA, ESA, STScI, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)
NASA s Hubble Space Telescope is giving astronomers a rare look at a Jupiter-sized, still-forming planet that is feeding off material surrounding a young star. We just don t know very much about how giant planets grow, said Brendan Bowler of the University of Texas at Austin. This planetary system gives us the first opportunity to witness material falling onto a planet. Our results open up a new area for this research.
The Hubble Telescope has helped us understand the universe, black holes, and supernovas, as well as bringing us "local" knowledge of the solar system and the Milky Way.
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IMAGE: In celebration of the 31st anniversary of the launching of NASA s Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers aimed the renowned observatory at a brilliant celebrity star, one of the brightest stars seen. view more
Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI
In celebration of the 31st anniversary of the launching of NASA s Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers aimed the renowned observatory at a brilliant celebrity star, one of the brightest stars seen in our galaxy, surrounded by a glowing halo of gas and dust.
The price for the monster star s opulence is living on the edge. The star, called AG Carinae, is waging a tug-of-war between gravity and radiation to avoid self-destruction.