Detect “legendary monsters” forming in the sky

This is the first time that scientists have directly observed the birth of a Wolf-Rayet, a very terrible class of “monster” stars in the universe, which still holds many mysteries.

Using the Keck Observatory atop the Manua Kea Volcano in Hawaii, an American research team monitored star named BELLS 1 in the galaxy Triangle (Messier 33) and I was amazed to see it change before my eyes.

According to the file Space, The first observations in 2018 showed that this star had 3 emission lines, but it was not until 2022 that it added a new emission line.

A closer Wolf-Rayet ‘monster’ was directly imaged by the James Webb Telescope

A closer Wolf-Rɑyet ‘monster’ was directly photographed by the James WeƄb Telescope – (Image: NASA/ƐSA/CSA)

Four years may be a long time for humans, but in the lifespan of a cosmic object, it is only a fraction of a blink of an eye. So, a dramatic change over the past 4 years shows that this is not something out of the ordinary.

Because it is Wolf-Rayet, a class of giant stars.

Observations also show that the “monster” BELLS 1 has enormous mass, could be 25 times the Sun and is now 10 million years old.

The wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation it emits suggest the star is stirring up carbon or iron deep within it through nuclear fusion, suggesting it is nearing the end of its life, exploding as a supernova.

Although Wolf-Rayet is short-lived, but his age is still too great for humans, so watching this cosmic monster grow in real time is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Previously, this class of stars was known only from data showing it in the state that evolved into Wolf-Rayet, but no one has observed this stage.

Continued sightings of this one in the future could provide further interesting insights into how this monster transforms.

According to NASA, only about 200 Wolf-Rayet stars are known in our Milky Way galaxy. There may be around 1,000-2. 000 exist, but are obscured by thick dust as seen from Earth.

Article source: NTD