Zooming in on the unusual double star SS Leporis

This zoom sequence starts with a broad view of the spectacular Milky Way. We close in on the small constellation of Lepus (The Hare), next to the familiar figure of Orion (The Hunter) and focus on the star, SS Leporis, which is faintly visible to the unaided eye. The final stage takes an extraordinarily close look at this unusual double star using the VLT Interferometer at ESO’s Paranal Observatory. These remarkably sharp images — 50 times sharper than those from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope — not only allow astronomers to watch the two stars in orbit around each other, but also show the larger of the two as a clear disc.

Bildnachweis:

ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2/Nick Risinger (skysurvey.org)/PIONIER/IPAG. Music: John Dyson (from the album Moonwind)

Über das Video

ID:eso1148a
Veröffentlichungsdatum:7. Dezember 2011 12:00
Dazugehörige Veröffentlichungen:eso1148
Dauer:01 m 15 s
Frame rate:30 fps

Über das Objekt

Kategorie:Stars

HD


Groß

Großes QT
12,0 MB

Mittel

Video-Podcast
9,2 MB

Klein

Kleines Flash
5,2 MB
Kleines QT
3,1 MB

For Broadcasters