Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science

Astronomers zoom in on mysterious V838 Monocerotis red nova

Now we are sure it was once at least a triple star system.

Paula Ferreira by Paula Ferreira
November 22, 2021
in Astronomy, Science

In 2002, astronomers detected a new ‘star’ in the Monoceros constellation, some 3,300 light-years away from Earth. The star is called V838 Monocerotis and was initially classified as a variable star — a star with varying brightness. However, it became apparent that the star was rather unusual.

Evolution of the light echo around V838 Monocerotis. Credits: NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

Astronomers observed that the light intensity of this star resembled a nova — an explosive star that’s not quite as cataclysmic as a supernova. However, three months later, the star started emitting massive amounts of infrared light, so it didn’t really seem to be a nova after all. Ultimately, V838 Monocerotis was finally classified as a luminous red nova — a stellar explosion that occurs when two stars merge.

Now, researchers have captured new details about this mysterious star.

A cascading stellar event

When the merging happened, it produced one of the most spectacular images you can imagine. As the gases and dust traveled outward from the epicenter of the event, they scattered light from the explosion itself. The scattered light was then deflected by the molecular cloud, taking a little longer to reach us compared to the light coming directly to Earth — a phenomenon called a ‘light echo’.

After the stars merged, the remnant left behind is likely a red supergiant that’s dozens or even hundreds of times the size of the sun — big enough to fill Mars’s entire orbit. However, because the event took place very far away, it took years for us to observe the formation of ions from the dust ejected by the merger. The ejected material expelled during the collision traveled through space and encountered another star in the system, a third companion B-type star – this one, in particular, is a BV3 star which is nearly 8 times more massive than the Sun.  

In a recent study, astronomers found direct evidence of this third star for the first time, 17 years after they observed the red nova going boom. They used observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) interferometer from 2019. ALMA’s data helps scientists ‘see’ what is happening in the system in terms of dust, gases, and gathers information about the stars themselves. When the material was close enough to the giant’s companion, it became ionized by the photons emitted from this star, and that helped the researchers to learn details about the B star.

Their results show that the B-star companion’ gravity pulls some of the gas away from us, making them appear redshifted. They also learned that this companion is embedded in the ejected cloud. It orbits its giant sibling over a 1000 year period from a distance greater than 230 times our distance from the Sun so that the gas only reached it 3 years after the nova event. 

The animation illustrates the merger and subsequent mass loss in the famous red nova V838 Mon. The events are followed up to an epoch of ALMA observations of this source. The animation was made by Piotr Mikielewicz (https://caustic.artstation.com/)

Researchers have also learned that the molecular cloud is traveling at 200 km per second (approximately 124.3 miles per second). With the help of spectroscopy, scientists can determine the chemical composition of the cloud because it is the preferred absorption of radiation observed by ALMA’s instruments. It is made of carbon monoxide, silicon monoxide, sulfur monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and aluminum monohydroxide.

Future observations will provide more evidence of novas ejected material and their formation through mergers thanks to millimeter/submillimeter observations, something scientists didn’t have access to 20 years ago. 

The study was published at Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Related posts:
  1. Astronomers use gravity to zoom in on incredibly distant star
  2. Astronomers zoom in on baby solar system only 300 light-years away that’s forcing us to rethink planetary formation
  3. Astronomers zoom in on stars around Milky Way’s supermassive black hole
  4. InSight lander detects mysterious dips in air pressure on Red Planet (and shares Martian weather forecast)
  5. White dwarf goes nova after a long slumber
Tags: astronomy

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW