While it might not seem like it, this is the “most precise gauging of a star’s surrounding accretion disk” to date, achieved with a solitary land-based telescope.(Image credit: Yoo Jung Kim/UCLA)
Due to an innovative “photonic lantern” instrument that could considerably boost the observational capability of Earth-bound telescopes, astronomers have identified a strikingly asymmetrical ring encircling the enigmatic close-by star Beta Canis Minoris.
Beta Canis Minoris, also identified as Gomeisa, possesses approximately 3.5 times the mass of our sun and resides nearly 162 light-years away from our planet within the Canis Minor constellation, rendering it discernible to the unaided human eye during the night. Despite its comparative closeness to Earth, investigators still possess limited information regarding it. As an illustration, prior inquiries implied that it constitutes a tight binary formation composed of two smaller stars revolving around each other in very close proximity, although this notion remains unconfirmed.
You may like
-
Oops! Earendel, the most remote star ever located, might not actually be a star, the James Webb Telescope has revealed
-
James Webb telescope discerns atypical ring around star that may overturn planet genesis theories
-
‘The most compelling JWST discovery so far’: James Webb spots — then misplaces — a colossal planet orbiting within the habitable zone of our closest sun-like star
“We had no anticipation of observing such asymmetry, and expounding upon its existence will stand as the undertaking of astrophysicists modelling such arrangements,” commented study spearhead Yoo Jung Kim, a doctoral candidate from the University of California, Los Angeles, within a declaration.
However, the truly captivating aspect for the study group resides in the realization that their groundbreaking apparatus accomplished such fine detail upon its inaugural deployment. They posit that the diminutive contraption registered the “most outstandingly precise measurement of a star’s surrounding accretion disk” attained via a singular ground-based telescope.
The photonic lantern was affixed to the Subaru telescope (left) situated on Hawaii’s Mauna Kea summit.
The photonic lantern is adaptable for attachment to virtually any optical observatory-class telescope. Its functionality entails capturing light originating from an object and disintegrating it into distinct strands — “akin to dissecting a chord into its constituent musical notes,” researchers expressed within the declaration. Subsequently, each strand undergoes further differentiation by wavelength, paralleling the spectrum of colors within a rainbow, prior to the recombination of all individual units of information by means of specialized computer programs.
This procedure empowers astronomers to partially circumvent a pivotal constraint inherent to visual astronomy, recognized as the “diffraction boundary,” arising from delicate variations transpiring across various light wavelengths throughout its traversal of Earth’s atmospheric envelope. With the advent of this novel apparatus, researchers can discern “subtler nuances that would otherwise dissipate,” Kim explained.
Within this context, the lantern facilitated the team’s capacity to gauge with heightened precision nuanced chromatic disparities within the star’s gaseous envelope, stemming from the Doppler influence — the fluctuation in wave frequency attributable to relative displacement between the source and observer. A segment of the disk exhibits a bluish tinge attributed to its rotation towards us, whereas the opposing portion manifests a redder coloration owing to its recession. Nevertheless, the chromatic modulation on respective sides of the star lacks perfect congruence, indicative of the gas’s imperfect disk-like rotation.
The photonic lantern is a compact mechanism readily integrated within the instrumentation of larger telescopes. The gilded trajectory within the right-hand depiction signifies light ingress into the device.
Ordinarily, these forms of insights remain exclusive to orbital assets — for instance, the James Webb Space Telescope — devoid of atmospheric disruptions, or achieved through concatenating manifold images acquired from disparate land-based telescopes. However, the photonic lantern possesses the aptitude to augment the proficiency of solitary land-based telescopes, enabling them to attain analogous outcomes, the investigators ascertained.
RELATED STORIES
—’Most untouched’ star ever detected at the Milky Way’s perimeter — potentially a lineal descendant of the universe’s inaugural stars
—Oops! Earendel, the most remote star ever located, might not actually be a star, the James Webb Telescope has revealed
—An ‘extreme zombie star’ capable of atomizing human matter is dashing through the Milky Way — and its origin remains elusive
“Within the realm of astronomy, the most precise image resolution is generally secured through interlinking telescopes,” elucidated Kim. “Yet, we accomplished it utilizing a single apparatus.”
Presently, the consortium intends to scrutinize additional entities utilizing their novel apparatus and assimilate it within alternative telescopes, aiming to ascertain whether the equivalent tier of observational prowess can be reproduced.
“We are merely initiating,” conveyed study collaborator Nemanja Jovanovic, an astronomer and photonics aficionado hailing from Caltech, within the communiqué. “The possibilities are undeniably exhilarating.”
Harry BakerSocial Links NavigationSenior Staff Writer
Harry acts as a U.K.-based senior staff scribe for Live Science. He majored in marine biology at the University of Exeter before undergoing instruction to qualify as a journalist. He tackles a diverse spectrum of subjects incorporating space exploration, planetary science, space weather patterns, climate dynamics, animal ethology, and paleontology. His latest labor pertaining to the solar apex secured “best space submission” honors at the 2024 Aerospace Media Awards and attained shortlisted status within the “top scoop” tier at the NCTJ Awards for Excellence during 2023. Additionally, he authors Live Science’s weekly Earth from space compilation.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
LogoutRead more
Oops! Earendel, the most remote star ever located, might not actually be a star, the James Webb Telescope has revealed
James Webb telescope discerns atypical ring around star that may overturn planet genesis theories
‘The most compelling JWST discovery so far’: James Webb spots — then misplaces — a colossal planet orbiting within the habitable zone of our closest sun-like star
Scientists capture bridge of stray stars being sucked from one galaxy to another
James Webb telescope discovers a warped ‘Butterfly Star’ shedding its pupal casing — Space photograph of the week
Scientists taken aback by the discovery of an uncommon ‘Einstein cross’ harboring a surprise at its core
Latest in Astronomy
The forthcoming Carrington-magnitude solar cataclysm could obliterate ‘all our satellites,’ new simulations suggest
The riddle surrounding the sun’s staggeringly sweltering atmospheric layer may at long last be resolved
Sourse: www.livescience.com
