Tuesday, December 23, 2014

R SCULPTORIS, A DYING STAR


This animation shows a computer simulation of how the material is distributed around the star. It presents a series of slices through a 3D model of the surroundings of R Sculptoris. The shell around the star shows up as a circular ring that appears to get bigger and then smaller in different slices.
This spiral, along with the surrounding outer shell is probably caused by a hidden companion star orbiting the star.

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the observatory recorded radio wave data emanating from the dying star R Sculptoris. A creative agency called PARTY made use of this data and turned it into a celestial music box. The hauntingly beautiful music can be heard in this video:
 

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