The Cepheid star RS Pup

The nebula around the Cepheid star RS Pup undoubtedly holds a wealth of information about the mass-loss history of this star. It will thus be instrumental to understand the evolution of Cepheids. Less than five years away from the centenary of the discovery of the Period-Luminosity relation by Leavitt & Pickering, RS Pup could well become a ''Rosetta stone'' for this important class of stars. This colour composite image is based on observations made with the 3.6-m ESO New Technology Telescope (NTT) installed at the La Silla Observatory (Chile) and equipped with the ESO Multi-Mode Instrument (EMMI). The image is based on data obtained through B, V, and R-filters. In order to avoid a heavy saturation of the detector, RS Pup was positioned in the gap between the detectors.

Credit:

ESO

About the Image

Id:eso0805a
Type:Observation
Release date:11 February 2008
Related releases:eso0805
Size:1379 x 1376 px

About the Object

Name:RS Puppis
Type:Milky Way : Star : Type : Variable
Distance:6500 light years
Constellation:Puppis
Category:Nebulae

Image Formats

Large JPEG
261.4 KB
Screensize JPEG
174.3 KB

Wallpapers

1024x768
168.9 KB
1280x1024
234.9 KB
1600x1200
284.7 KB
1920x1200
306.8 KB
2048x1536
389.4 KB

Coordinates

Position (RA):8 13 4.17
Position (Dec):-34° 34' 43.24"
Field of view:5.72 x 5.70 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 120.2° right of vertical