The reasons for these fresh periodic ejections of more gas and dust remain unknown. The disc then funnels subsequent dust and gas outflows out along its axis, forming the bizarre bi-conical structure we see as the rung of the Red Rectangle. Interactions between these stars have probably caused the ejection of the thick dust disc that obscures our view of the binary. Astronomers have found that the central star is actually a close pair of stars orbiting each other with a period of about 10.5 months. The light we see streams out along the axis of the disc, and is scattered towards us by dust particles. This is the shadow of a dense disc of dust that surrounds the star and obscures it from direct view. Exactly which molecules in the dust cloud are responsible for the striking red colour of the Rectangle is not yet clear, but it is likely that they are some kind of hydrocarbon formed in the cool outflows from the central star.Īnother remarkable feature of the Red Rectangle, visible only with the superb resolution of the Hubble telescope, is the dark band passing across the central star. When this occurs the gas in the nebula will begin to fluoresce, producing a 'planetary nebula'.Īt the present time, however, the star is still so cool that atoms in the nebula do not glow and the surrounding dust particles are only visible as they reflect light from the central star. Thousands of new, high-quality pictures added every day. The shedding of the outer layers began about 14 000 years ago, and in a few thousand years, the star will have become smaller and hotter, releasing a flood of ultraviolet light into the surrounding nebula. Find Red Rectangle stock images in HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, illustrations and vectors in the Shutterstock collection.
It is now nearing the end of its lifetime, and is in the process of ejecting its outer layers to produce the visible nebula. The star at the centre of the Red Rectangle began its life as a star similar to our Sun.
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