Serpens Nebula, seen by HAWK-I
Wide-field view of the Serpens Nebula (ground-based image)
Bat Shadow
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Zoom on HBC 672
Pan across the Serpens Nebula
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has
captured part of the wondrous Serpens Nebula, lit up by the star HBC
672. This young star casts a striking shadow — nicknamed the Bat Shadow —
on the nebula behind it, revealing telltale signs of its otherwise
invisible protoplanetary disc.
The Serpens Nebula, located in the tail of the Serpent (Serpens Cauda) about 1300 light-years away, is a reflection nebula
that owes most of its sheen to the light emitted by stars like HBC 672 —
a young star nestled in its dusty folds. In this image the NASA/ESA
Hubble Space Telescope has exposed two vast cone-like shadows emanating
from HBC 672.
These colossal shadows on the Serpens Nebula are cast by the protoplanetary disc
surrounding HBC 672. By clinging tightly to the star the disc creates
an imposing shadow, much larger than the disc — approximately 200 times
the diameter of our own Solar System.
The disc’s shadow is similar to that produced by a cylindrical lamp
shade. Light escapes from the top and bottom of the shade, but along its
circumference, dark cones of shadow form.
The disc itself is so small and far away from Earth that
not even Hubble can detect it encircling its host star. However, the
shadow feature — nicknamed the Bat Shadow — reveals details of the
disc’s shape and nature. The presence of a shadow implies that the disc
is being viewed nearly edge-on.
Whilst most of the shadow is completely opaque, scientists
can look for colour differences along its edges, where some light gets
through. Using the shape and colour of the shadow, they can determine
the size and composition of dust grains in the disc.
The whole Serpens Nebula, of which this image shows only a
tiny part, could host more of these shadow projections. The nebula
envelops hundreds of young stars, many of which could also be in the
process of forming planets in a protoplanetary disc.
Although shadow-casting discs are common around young
stars, the combination of an edge-on viewing angle and the surrounding
nebula is rare. However, in an unlikely coincidence, a similar looking
shadow phenomenon can be seen emanating from another young star, in the
upper left of the image.
These precious insights into protoplanetary discs around
young stars allow astronomers to study our own past. The planetary
system we live in once emerged from a similar protoplanetary disc when
the Sun was only a few million years old. By studying these distant
discs we get to uncover the formation and evolution of our own cosmic
home.
More information
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.
Image credit: NASA, ESA
Link
Contact
Mathias Jäger
ESA/Hubble, Public Information Officer
Garching bei München, Germany
Cell: +49 176 62397500
Email: mjaeger@partner.eso.org
Source: ESA/Hubble/News
