Amazing...

[Stu]

I'm assuming this is real, it certainly looks like some of the previous images I've seen. If so, quite amazing to see things developing within time frames we can relate to. If it's nonsense, I apologise in advance :-)

http://sploid.gizmodo.com/star-explosion-video-is-the-most-awesome-thing-i-have-e-1589138376?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_facebook&utm_source=gizmodo_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

Stu

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[Knight of Clear Skies]

Yes, it's genuine but not completely so, as the animator has uses morphing from one frame to another to create smooth motion. the YouTube vid has some details of how it was done. Some of the source frames are here on the Hubble site.

Pretty spectacular, I'm not aware of any other deep space object whose appearance is changing so rapidly. Sn1987a probably takes the silver.

[Zakalwe]

Its worth pointing out that the object isn't changing at the speed it appears to be. Whats happening is that we are seeing a light echo:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V838_Monocerotis#Light_echo

The nebulosity that we are seeing might not even belong to the process that caused the outburst...it may lie behind the star.

[Stu]

Its worth pointing out that the object isn't changing at the speed it appears to be. Whats happening is that we are seeing a light echo:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V838_Monocerotis#Light_echo

The nebulosity that we are seeing might not even belong to the process that caused the outburst...it may lie behind the star.

Isn't that almost more amazing though, that we can see light travelling over trillions & trillions of miles, but slowly over a period of years?

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