Hubble image archive
Scenario for a Fast-Evolving Luminous Transient
Model for the Creation of a Fast-Evolving Luminous TransientThis illustration shows a proposed model for a mysterious astronomical event called a Fast-Evolving Luminous Transient (FELT). In the left panel, an aging red giant star loses mass via a stellar wind. This balloons into...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2018
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2018-18-4134-image
Model for the Creation of a Fast-Evolving Luminous Transient
This illustration shows a proposed model for a mysterious astronomical event called a Fast-Evolving Luminous Transient (FELT). In the left panel, an aging red giant star loses mass via a stellar wind. This balloons into a huge gaseous shell around the star. In the center panel, the massive star’s core implodes to trigger a supernova explosion. In the right panel, the supernova shockwave plows into the outer shell, converting the kinetic energy from the explosion into a brilliant burst of light. The flash of radiation lasts for only a few days — one-tenth the duration of a typical supernova explosion.
Credits
NASA, ESA, and A. Feild (STScI)More Images From This Period
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Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
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