The field around HD 87643
This image, showing a very rich field of stars towards the Carina arm of the Milky Way, is centred on the star HD 87643, a member of the class of B[e] stars. The amazing image is set ablaze by a flurry of stars of all colours and brightnesses, some of which are seen against a backdrop of clouds of dust and gas. The red emission nebula is RCW47 and was catalogued in 1960. HD 87643 has been extensively studied with a full range of ESO telescopes, including the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Surrounded by a complex, extended nebula that is the result of previous violent ejections, the star is shown to have a companion. Interactions in this double system, surrounded by a dusty disc, may be the engine fuelling the star's remarkable nebula. The image, taken with the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at La Silla, is based on data obtained through different filters: B, V and R. The field of view is 33 x 32 arc-minutes.
Credit:
ESO/F. Millour et al.
About the Image
| Id: | eso0928e |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 5 August 2009 |
| Related releases: | eso0928 |
| Size: | 8451 x 8110 px |
About the Object
| Name: | HD 87643 |
| Type: | • X - Stars |
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 10h 4m 30.37s |
| Position (Dec): | -58° 39' 52.08" |
| Field of view: | 33.52 x 32.16 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is 0.1° right of vertical |
Colours & filters
| Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
| Optical B |
451 nm | MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope WFI |
| Optical V |
539 nm | MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope WFI |
| Optical R |
651 nm | MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope WFI |
Images
Zoomable
Wallpapers
