Title: Stellar Duo Captured in All Their Glory by Hubble Telescope
In a breathtaking cosmic performance, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured the bright variable star, V 372 Orionis, and its lesser-known companion star in a single frame. Both celestial bodies reside in the Orion Nebula, a gigantic region of star formation located approximately 1450 light years away from Earth.
The star V 372 Orionis, the more prominent of the two, takes center stage in this recently released image. Known as a variable star, its brightness fluctuates over time due to changes in size and temperature. The smaller companion star, though more modest in appearance, is no less significant. It sits in the upper left of the image, a testament to the vast diversity of celestial bodies that populate the Orion Nebula.
The Orion Nebula, where this stellar duo resides, is one of the most studied and photographed objects in space. Referred to as a star nursery, this nebula is a vast cloud of gas and dust where new stars are born. The nebula’s proximity to Earth, coupled with its active star formation, makes it an ideal laboratory for astronomers seeking to understand the life cycle of stars.
The new image was captured as part of an ongoing mission using the Hubble Space Telescope, a joint venture between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). Since its launch in 1990, Hubble has fundamentally changed our understanding of the universe. Its high-resolution images have revealed new galaxies, provided evidence of dark matter, and even helped measure the rate at which the universe is expanding.
The Hubble Space Telescope’s unique vantage point, high above the distortion of Earth’s atmosphere, allows it to capture images with clarity and detail that ground-based telescopes can’t match. This latest image of the stellar duo is a perfect example of this capability.
The captured image of V 372 Orionis and its companion star not only offers a visual feast for space enthusiasts but also provides valuable data to scientists. By studying these stars, researchers can gain insights into the processes that govern star birth, life, and death. This, in turn, may help us comprehend the broader workings of our universe.
As our exploration of the cosmos continues, each new image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope brings us one step closer to understanding our place in the universe. The image of the stellar duo, V 372 Orionis and its companion star, is more than just a beautiful snapshot of the cosmos. It’s a reminder of the vastness of space and the endless possibilities for discovery that lie within it.
Read more from the original source here: [https://www.nasa.gov/image-detail/tempestuous-young-stars-in-orion/](https://www.nasa.gov/image-detail/tempestuous-young-stars-in-orion/)