Mirando en el corazón de Mira A y su compañera
El estudio de estrellas gigantes rojas revela a los astrónomos cuál será el futuro del Sol y ofrece información sobre cómo generaciones anteriores de estrellas expanden los elementos necesarios para la vida a través del universo. Una de las gigantes rojas más famosas del cielo se llama Mira A, y es parte del sistema binario Mira, que se encuentra a unos 400 años luz de la Tierra. En esta imagen, ALMA revela la vida secreta de Mira.
Mira A es una estrella vieja que está empezando a expulsar al espacio el material que lleva toda su vida fabricando para que, finalmente, se recicle. La compañera de Mira A, conocida como Mira B, la orbita a una distancia dos veces la distancia entre el Sol y Neptuno.
Mira A es conocida por tener un viento lento que moldea suavemente el material circundante. ALMA ha confirmado que la compañera de Mira es una estrella muy diferente, con un viento muy diferente. Mira B es una enana blanca, caliente y densa, con unos vientos estelares rápidos y fuertes.
Nuevas observaciones muestran cómo los vientos de las dos estrellas han creado una nebulosa fascinante, bella y compleja. La burbuja en forma de corazón que hay en el centro, es fruto de los enérgicos vientos de Mira B dentro del flujo más tranquilo que emite Mira A. El corazón, que se formó en algún momento a lo largo de los últimos 400 años, y el resto del gas que rodea a la pareja, muestran que llevan mucho tiempo dando formas juntas a este entorno extraño y hermoso.
Observando estrellas como Mira A y Mira B, los científicos esperan descubrir las diferencias entre estrellas dobles y estrellas individuales de nuestra galaxia en cuanto a cómo devuelven el material que han creado al ecosistema estelar de la Vía Láctea. A pesar de la distancia que las separa, Mira A su compañera han tenido un fuerte efecto la una en la otra, demostrando cómo las estrellas dobles puede influir en sus entornos y dejando pistas para que los científicos descifren sus misterios.
Usando ALMA y otros telescopios, los astrónomos han visto que hay otras estrellas, viejas y moribundas, que también tienen un entorno extraño. Pero no está siempre claro si las estrellas son individuales, como el Sol, o dobles, como Mira. Mira A, su misteriosa compañera y su burbuja en forma de corazón, son parte de esta historia.
Las nuevas observaciones de Mira A y su acompañante se presentan en este artículo científico.
Crédito:ESO/S. Ramstedt (Uppsala University, Sweden) & W. Vlemmings (Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden)
Sobre la imagen
| Identificador: | potw1447a |
| Idioma: | es-cl |
| Tipo: | Observación |
| Fecha de publicación: | 24 de Noviembre de 2014 a las 10:00 |
| Tamaño: | 2011 x 2128 px |
Sobre el objeto
| Nombre: | Mira |
| Tipo: | Milky Way : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Red Giant |
| Constellation: | Cetus |
Fondo de pantalla
Coordenadas
| Position (RA): | 2 19 20.72 |
| Position (Dec): | -2° 58' 40.79" |
| Field of view: | 0.60 x 0.64 arcminutes |
| Orientación: | El norte está a 0.0° a la izquierda de la vertical |
Colores y filtros
| Banda | Longitud de onda | Telescopio |
|---|---|---|
| Milímetro | 900 μm | Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array |
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