From: Andrew Johnson
Date: 2005-12-13 23:29:53
Inbox Astronomy – Astronomers Use Hubble to ‘Weigh’ Dog Star’s Companion December 13, 2005 Astronomers Use Hubble to ‘Weigh’ Dog Star’s Companion Get larger image formats Find the entire Hubble News archive, image galleries, and much more at hubblesite.org For astronomers, it’s always been a source of frustration that the nearest white-dwarf star is buried in the glow of the brightest star in the nighttime sky. This burned-out stellar remnant is a faint companion of the brilliant blue-white Dog Star, Sirius, located in the winter constellation Canis Major. Now, an international team of astronomers has used the keen eye of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to isolate the light from the white dwarf, called Sirius B. The new results allow them to measure precisely the white dwarf’s mass based on how its intense gravitational field alters the wavelengths of light emitted by the star. See the full release, including: More Images Fast Facts Related Links And more! This news release and its supporting materials are permanently archived at: hubblesite.org/news/… You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the Inbox Astronomy mailing list, which sends notices in HTML whenever there is a new Hubble Space Telescope image, product, or news update. If you would like to unsubscribe or change your email preferences, please go to: hubblesite.org/newsc…
