Here are a few more spectacular images from the Hubble Space Telescope. These blue and red billows supply a comprehensive view of a small part of the famous Orion Nebula. But what catches your eye are the brilliant stars due to their cross-shaped diffraction spikes, a hallmark of Hubble’s images.
The brilliant variable star V 372 Orionis is in the middle, and in the upper left a smaller companion star is named BD-05 1307.
Hd 36917 or Ori 47, also known as V 372 Orionis, is a so-called Orion variable, a variable star that exhibits irregular variations in brightness. Orion variables are generally associated with diffuse nebulae, just the nebulous gas as well as dust of the Orion Nebula, a massive star-forming region filled with young, hot stars that is approximately 1,450 light years from Earth.
The BD-05 1307, also known as 2MASS J05345223 0533085 or TIC 427373786, is categorized as an emission line star.
This particular image was created using data from two of Hubble’s instruments. Information from the Advanced Camera for Surveys as well as the Wide Field Camera 3 were layered at infrared and visible wavelengths to reveal abundant details of this particular corner of the nebula, a regular target of Hubble through the years.
The stars appearing as rises in the image aren’t really parts of the stars, but are imaging artifacts created by Hubble itself. “these well known artefacts are created by starlight interacting with Hubble’s inner workings and consequently they reveal hints of Hubble’s structure,” ESA said. The four spikes that encircle the stars in this picture are created by four vanes that are inside Hubble, supporting the secondary mirror of the telescope.
In comparison, the James Webb Space Telescope’s diffraction spikes are six-pointed as a result of the hexagonal mirror segments of Webb and the 3-legged support structure for the secondary mirror.
