Orpington Astronomical Society

Astronomy => In the Media... => Topic started by: Rick on Jun 24, 2005, 21:52:00

Title: Hubble spies lord of the stellar rings
Post by: Rick on Jun 24, 2005, 21:52:00
A spectacular, luminous ring offers the best evidence yet that a nearby star is circled by a newly formed solar system.

The ring is composed of dust particles in orbit around Fomalhaut, a bright star located just 25 light years away in the constellation Pisces Austalis – or the Southern Fish. A recent image captured with the Hubble Space Telescope - which makes the system look uncannily like the Great Eye of Sauron from the blockbusting Lord of the Rings trilogy - confirms that Fomalhaut's ring is curiously offset with respect to the star.

http://www.newscientistspace.com/article.ns?id=dn7564
Title: Hubble spies lord of the stellar rings
Post by: Mike on Jun 25, 2005, 00:32:00
Wow ! What an amazing image!