Hubble Telescope Image Shows Campbell's Hydrogen Star
Posted on September 22, 2013
This image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope shows HD 184738, which is also known as Campbell's hydrogen star. The star looks like an explosion in space. NASA says on the Instagram post that the fiery red and orange hues seen in the image are caused by glowing gases, including hydrogen and nitrogen.
NASA also says the star is [WC] star, a rare class in the Wolf-Rayet stars. Wolf-Rayet stars were named after French astronomers Charles Wolf and Georges Rayet. This class of hot stars are rapidly blowing away material and losing mass.
You can view a larger version of the image here.
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