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Cosmic Wreath and Ornaments Decorate the Universe in These Space Telescope Photos
By Doris Elin Salazar, Space.com Contributor | December 24, 2018 09:36am ET
Holiday decorations glimmer under our roofs this season, and so, too, do celestial formations light up our largest home — the universe.
To celebrate the season, scientists with the Hubble Space Telescope showcased what they called a "holiday wreath made of sparkling lights" in deep space made up of the dust around the brilliant star RS Puppis, which is visible from the Southern Hemisphere.
"The super star is ten times more massive than the sun and 200 times larger," NASA officials said in an image description of the RS Puppis, which is about 6,500- light-years away. "RS Puppis rhythmically brightens and dims over a six-week cycle. It is one of the most luminous in the class of so-called Cepheid variable stars. Its average intrinsic brightness is 15,000 times greater than the sun's luminosity." [Space Christmas: Festive Photos of Cosmic Beauty]
The result is a dazzling (and festive) celestial display. And Hubble isn't the only space telescope getting in the Christmas spirit.
More:
https://www.space.com/42844-christmas-wreath-ornaments-hubble-chandra-photos.html