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Rw Cephei

All articles tagged with #rw cephei

astronomy2 years ago•3 min saved

"Giant Star's Bizarre Dimming Explained: Close-Up Images Unveil Mystery"

The hypergiant star RW Cephei, located 16,000 light-years away, has recently brightened after a two-year period of dramatic dimming. Astronomers believe the dimming was caused by a gas cloud expelled by the star, which cooled and blocked its light from view. Close-up images from the CHARA Array show irregular blotchy patches on the star's surface, caused by the orbiting gas cloud. This event, described as a "grand eruption," sheds light on the star's behavior and its massive size, being 1,000 times larger than the sun.

via Space.com|

#astronomy #chara-array #dimming

astronomy2 years ago•4 min saved

"Fading from View: Examining the Eruption of a Colossal Milky Way Star"

Astronomers from Georgia State University's CHARA Array have captured close-up images of the massive star RW Cephei, which recently experienced a dramatic fading event, providing new insights into its behavior. The star, located approximately 16,000 light years from Earth, is a cool hypergiant and had faded to about one-third of its normal brightness, prompting scientists to investigate the cause. Observations and intelligent algorithms revealed that a grand eruption launched a gas cloud from the star, blocking a large fraction of its light from view. The findings were presented at the American Astronomical Society meeting and published in The Astronomical Journal, shedding light on the troubled surroundings of RW Cephei.

via Phys.org|

#astronomical-observations #astronomy #chara-array