Pistol Nebula
Astronomers using the Hubble telescope have identified what may be the
most luminous star known -- a celestial mammoth that releases up to
10 million times the power of the Sun and is big enough to fill the
diameter of Earth's orbit. The star [center of image] unleashes as much
energy in six seconds as our Sun does in one year.
The image, taken in infrared light, also reveals a bright nebula [magenta-colored material], created by extremely massive stellar eruptions. The nebula is so big (4 light-years) that it would nearly span the distance from the Sun to Alpha Centauri, the nearest star to Earth's solar system.
Photographs and astronomical descriptions courtesy of NASA and AURA/STScI
Tales of the Immortal Night ©2003, J.J. Kuhl
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