A peculiar stellar outburst.A peculiar stellar outburst New observations of a bright star designated MWC MWC Mountain West Conference MWC Mary Washington College MWC Mennonite World Conference MWC Married With Children MWC Medium Weight Coated (paper) MWC Municipal Waste Combustion MWC Municipal Waste Combustor MWC Married White Couple 560--first listed in the Mount Wilson star catalog nearly 50 years ago but never studied in detail now--reveal an unusual pattern of brightening, apparently caused by a rapid but erratic ejection of gas from the system. Spectroscopic spec·tro·scope n. An instrument for producing and observing spectra. spec  tro·scop evidence obtained by Bulgarian astronomers and described in the Aug. 16 NATURE suggests the presence of a red giant star Noun 1. red giant star - a large, old, luminous star; has a relatively low surface temperature and a diameter large relative to the sunred giant star - (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in accompanied by a compact white dwarf star white dwarf star Any of a class of small, faint stars representing the end point of the evolution of stars without enough mass to become neutron stars or black holes. . The system's light output varies erratically from day to day and year to year, indicating that gas may be passing from the red giant to a ring of material surrounding the white dwarf--a phenomenon seen in what are called symbiotic systems. However, the astronomers also detect gas leaving the system at highly variable velocities--with peak velocities much higher than those encountered in typical symbiotic systems or even in nova outbursts. Why MWC560 should be so different remains a mystery. |
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