All articles tagged with #hd 61005
Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory have captured the first image of an astrosphere around a Sun-like young star HD 61005 (nicknamed the “Moth”). The extended X-ray emission shows a bubble created by a wind that’s about three times faster and 25 times denser than the young Sun’s, offering insights into how the Sun’s heliosphere may have looked billions of years ago as it moved through the galaxy.
Astronomers using the Chandra X-ray Observatory have detected the first astrosphere—an outer wind-driven bubble—around HD 61005, a young sun-like star about 117 light-years away nicknamed the 'Moth.' The feature results from the star’s powerful stellar wind colliding with interstellar material and, captured in a multi-wavelength image, offers a glimpse of what our solar system’s early heliosphere may have looked like.
Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory imaged the faint X-ray glow around HD 61005, a young sun‑like star about 120 light‑years away, revealing a wind‑blown bubble called an astrosphere—the first X-ray evidence of such a bubble around a star similar to the Sun. HD 61005 is ~100 million years old, and its stellar wind is roughly three times faster and 25 times denser than the Sun’s today, inflating a brighter astrosphere in a dense interstellar environment. The finding offers a rare glimpse into the early solar system’s conditions and how stellar winds shape planetary environments.
NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory detected an astrosphere around HD 61005, the first image of a Sun-like star’s wind-blown bubble. Located about 120 light-years away and ~100 million years old, HD 61005’s wind is ~3× faster and ~25× denser than the young Sun’s, creating a bubble roughly 200 AU across as it moves through surrounding interstellar gas. The star, nicknamed the “Moth” for its dusty infrared wings, offers a glimpse into the Sun’s past and how its heliosphere may have looked billions of years ago.